DeSantis signs bill to protect against terrorism in the state oan

OAN Staff Katherine Mosack
3:15 PM – Tuesday, April 7, 2026

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a bill into law that would give state officials authority to designate groups as terrorist organizations and prevent state courts from following laws outside of the state’s and country’s established standards.

During a press conference on Monday, DeSantis (R-Fla.) signed a bill referred to as “Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations.” The bill ensures that Florida courts do not use laws from other countries or religious codes if they fail to align with the United States or Florida Constitutions.

It also allows the state to treat “domestic” terror groups with the same level of severity as “foreign” terror groups and cancels state funding for groups or students promoting these organizations on campuses.

“We’ll do millions for public safety. Millions for education, but never one red cent for Jihad,” DeSantis said.

 

The governor and Lieutenant Governor Jay Collins made it clear that this new legislation serves in part to protect Florida’s citizens from Islamic ideals, including Sharia and Jihad, an Arabic term referring to the struggle to enact the “will of the Quran’s god,” which in some cases means committing violence against “infidels” who do not follow the religion.

“We have got to stop, as a country, importing people that reject the values of this country,” DeSantis stated. “I mean you have Soleimani’s niece here,” he added, referring to Hamideh Soleimani Afshar, niece of deceased Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Major General Qasem Soleimani, whom the former Trump administration killed in 2020 for plotting attacks on the country.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked her green card on Saturday, and she was arrested on the same day after living in Los Angeles, California, for years. “How did it get to where she was even here to begin with?” the governor further questioned.

 

During the press conference, Representative Collins articulated his support for the legislation, emphasizing that his decision was deeply rooted in his roles as a husband and a father. He explained that discussions within his own household — specifically with his wife and daughters — had significantly influenced his perspective on the bill’s potential impact.

“In these United States of America, we have just one set of laws, one Constitution. No other law should be recognized or supersede our laws, or be allowed to conflict with our Constitution. No foreign or religious legal codes should sneak into our courts,” he asserted.

He also cited his military service in Iraq for inspiring him to protect women and children against the “values” of radical Islam, as it gave him a first-hand account of its effect on a culture.

“Under Sharia Law, let us not forget that in Iran, they arrest, torture and kill women for loose hijab,” he explained, referring to religious head coverings required by Islam for women. “One fifth of marriages in Iran are minors because of Sharia Law. In Afghanistan, the Taliban banned women from school and silenced [their] voices in public. I have personally seen women murdered for wanting an education.”

“There will be no honor killings. No padding of the law. In reality, murder is murder and in Florida, we understand that. Today, Florida says no, not now, not ever, in the free state of Florida,” he said. “HB 1471 removed the possibility before it ever touches our children.”

Collins praised the law’s state-designation process for having “real teeth.” “We will designate, defund and dissolve people who don’t stand for our values,” he asserted.

Meanwhile, the law also criminalizes material support for these groups as a felony offense.

“To give money, guns or military training to those savages is a felony. Joining them with intent to spill blood – also a felony. We don’t play games,” said Collins. “We will hold you accountable because that is what we have done in the free state of Florida.”