Texas Governor-elect Gina Hinojosa hasn't even warmed the governor's mansion yet, but she's already making waves – and not the kind that instill confidence in Texans who value national security. In a move that sends a clear message of ideological alignment, Hinojosa has promised to remove outgoing Governor Greg Abbott's designation of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as a terrorist organization.
"We have to use public safety measures for public safety," Hinojosa told a prominent outlet, casually dismissing what she termed "nonsense happening with power that should be used for public safety."
Nonsense. That's how the incoming leader of the second-largest state in the union characterizes treating a group with CAIR's extensively documented track record as a threat to public safety. This audacious declaration came amidst media attempts to frame her as a moderate, despite warnings from Abbott and Texas Republicans during her campaign about her true radical leanings. Apparently, "moderation" now means swiftly dismantling protections against groups with known ties to terror. Because of course it does.
To remind everyone why Governor Abbott took decisive action, he designated both CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations just last November. This critical order barred both groups from acquiring any real property in Texas, a common-sense measure to prevent the entrenchment of hostile interests within the Lone Star State.
Abbott, ever the protector of Texas values and security, minced no words in his declaration. "The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam's 'mastership of the world,'" he asserted.
He further elaborated that the groups' actions "to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable."
Less than a week after Abbott's bold stand, then-President Trump followed suit with an executive order initiating the process of designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations. This wasn't some isolated Texas initiative; it was a coordinated, America First effort to secure our nation from internal threats.
This isn't some "fringe smear" from conservatives; the facts speak for themselves. In the landmark Holy Land Foundation case of 2008, which remains the largest terrorism-financing trial in U.S. history, CAIR was explicitly named an unindicted co-conspirator in a scheme to funnel millions of dollars to Hamas. CAIR may call itself a civil rights group, but its documented history tells a much different, far more concerning story. They even sued Abbott over the designation, yet Hinojosa seems poised to make their lawsuit moot by doing their bidding.
Hinojosa might attempt to sell herself as a moderate. She may even nod to President Trump on the need for border security, but her very first promise – to lift a terror label from a group with such a questionable past – betrays any pretense of moderation. Texans were warned about her radical agenda during the election, and this move is merely a chilling preview of what's to come.
Elections, as they say, have consequences, y'all. And for Texas, the consequences of this one may prove deeply troubling for national security and the fight against radical ideologies.
