Gov. Greg Abbott is calling on Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to revoke the nonprofit status of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and prevent the organization and its affiliates from operating in the state.
In a letter released by the governor’s office, Abbott said the attorney general has the authority under Texas law to examine nonprofit records and strip corporate charters if an organization is found to be violating the law.
Abbott accused CAIR of posing a threat to public safety and said its nonprofit designation should not shield it from enforcement.
“Under Texas law, the Texas Attorney General is the only elected official charged with regulating nonprofits that may be violating the law,” Abbott wrote, urging Paxton to take action.
Paxton said in a statement that he is demanding records from Cypress-Fairbanks and Grapevine-Colleyville independent school districts as part of an investigation into the districts’ ties to the Islamic Games of North America, which has hosted events sponsored by a CAIR chapter, according to his office.
“The spread of radical Islam in Texas must be stopped, and if school districts are continuing to promote or partner with organizations tied to an FTO, that ends now,” said Attorney General Paxton. “I will ensure that taxpayers’ dollars are not materially supporting activities by Islamist terrorists in violation of Texas law.”
The governor’s request is the latest step in a series of actions he says are aimed at countering the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR in Texas. Those actions include calling on school districts to sever ties with CAIR-sponsored events, requesting federal review of CAIR’s tax-exempt status, directing state police to launch criminal investigations, and ordering investigations into alleged Sharia courts.
Paxton’s office is already seeking information from Cypress-Fairbanks and Grapevine-Colleyville independent school districts as part of an investigation into school events linked to the Islamic Games of North America, which had listed a CAIR chapter as a sponsor. One or more of those events has since been canceled or rescheduled, according to state officials.
Abbott designated CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization under Texas law in November 2025 and notified school officials earlier this month that state law prohibits such organizations from operating on public school property.
“Voluminous documents detail the dangers posed to Texans by the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR, and their affiliates,” said Governor Abbott. “Regardless of the façade CAIR attempts to portray in press releases, CAIR cannot be allowed to use its ‘nonprofit’ status as a shield for sponsoring terror, advancing radical Islamism in Texas, or fronting for the Muslim Brotherhood. The same goes for other entities pretending to engage in charity by day, while sponsoring terror by night. Under Texas law, ‘the Texas Attorney General is the only elected official charged with regulating’ nonprofits that may be violating the law, including by examining their records and stripping their corporate charters. You have used these tools before; I urge you to use them now to combat CAIR.”
Abbott has said that CAIR is a front group for Hamas, a claim CAIR has repeatedly denied.
It remains unclear what immediate action the attorney general will take in response to Abbott’s letter.
According to the district, CFISD has not received the governor’s letter directly and only became aware of it through an online press release. District officials said CFISD is not “hosting” the 2026 Houston Islamic Games and currently has no facility use agreements in place for the 2026–27 school year.