H.R. 4097 — Designate CAIR as a Terrorist Organization Act

This section states 18 congressional findings regarding the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), including its naming as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing trial; resolutions by state legislatures such as Florida and Arizona urging avoidance of engagement with CAIR; the FBI's suspension of formal contacts with CAIR due to evidence of a relationship with Hamas (a designated foreign terrorist organization); Hamas's October 7, 2023, attack on Israel killing over 1,200 persons and launching over 11,500 rockets; convictions of CAIR associates such as Ghassan Elashi (65 years for terrorism financing and related offenses) and others for ties to Al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Palestinian Islamic Jihad; CAIR's receipt of a grant from the Holy Land Foundation (designated a Specially Designated Global Terrorist); its designation as a terrorist organization by the United Arab Emirates in 2014; and statements by CAIR leaders supporting the October 7 attack.

This section directs the Secretary of State, in collaboration with the Attorney General and Secretary of the Treasury, to conduct a formal review not later than 90 days after enactment of whether the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) meets the criteria for designation as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) under INA §219 (8 U.S.C. 1189). (FTO designation, which applies only to foreign organizations that engage in terrorist activity threatening U.S. nationals or national security, triggers asset freezes by the Treasury, prohibitions on material support under 18 U.S.C. §2339B, and immigration inadmissibility.) The section further requires submission to Congress of a report summarizing the review's findings, including any resulting designation or the reasons CAIR does not meet the criteria.