Governor Greg Abbott of Texas has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations as foreign terrorist organizations, making Texas the first state to take such action.

The proclamation, issued by Mr. Abbott on Tuesday, invokes authority under the Texas Penal Code and Texas Property Code to prohibit the groups from purchasing or acquiring property in Texas. The measure also authorizes “heightened enforcement” against the organizations.

“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,'” the Republican governor said in a press release. “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”

CAIR was founded in 1994 and bills itself as a “nonprofit, grassroots civil rights and advocacy organization” for Muslims. The group, however, has long faced scrutiny over alleged ties to terrorism. Mr. Abbott’s proclamation references evidence of CAIR members’ affiliations with “terrorism-related activities” and notes that the Federal Bureau of Investigation identified the nonprofit as a “front group” for Hamas and its support network in America.

The organization denounced Mr. Abbott’s measure and threatened to take legal action. “Although we are flattered by Greg Abbott’s obsession with our civil rights organization, his publicity stunt masquerading as a proclamation has no basis in fact or law,” the CAIR said in a statement to The Texas Tribune. 

The Muslim Brotherhood is a Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 as a movement to Islamize society with the long-term goal of establishing an Islamic state. The group has also been accused of supporting extremist organizations including Hamas. Several countries — including Austria, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates — have designated it as a terrorist organization.

Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood are listed as terrorist groups in America, though members of Congress have introduced bills targeting the Muslim Brotherhood. In June, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas reintroduced legislation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group following an attack by an Egyptian national on protesters supporting Israeli hostages. The incident left one dead and more than a dozen injured. The accused attacker, Mohamed Soliman, had publicly supported the group on social media.

Mr. Abbott’s action drew praise from the Middle East Forum, a think tank focused on foreign policy that has documented CAIR’s alleged links to Hamas.

“This is vindication,” the forum’s director, Gregg Roman, stated on Tuesday. “For years, MEF has documented how CAIR — founded by convicted Hamas financier Ghassan Elashi, who is serving 65 years in federal prison — masquerades as a civil rights organization while maintaining its terror support infrastructure. Governor Abbott just shattered that facade with the force of law.”

Mr. Roman urged other states to follow Texas’s lead. “Texas just proved that states don’t need Washington’s permission to protect their citizens from terror-linked organizations,” he said. “While the federal government equivocates, Governor Abbott acted. Every governor in America should be asking: If Texas can do this, why can’t we?”