DeSantis signs Florida law to label groups as terrorists and expel student supporters

Key Points:

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a law allowing state leaders, including himself and the Florida Cabinet, to designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations and expel university students who support them.
• The law enables the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to recommend terrorist designations, which must be approved by the governor and three other elected Cabinet members, and allows for the dissolution of such groups and the cessation of state funding.
• Universities are required to report expelled students on visas to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, potentially affecting students' immigration status.
• DeSantis defended the law as a measure to protect Floridians and state resources, citing previous designations of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, though a federal judge recently blocked enforcement of his related executive order.
• Free speech advocates, including PEN America, criticize the law for vague language that could suppress educational programs and student protests, warning it may chill free expression and academic freedom in Florida.