Press Release

Press conference will examine the Trump Administration’s weaponization of immigration law to target protected speech and association WASHINGTON, D.C. — On Wednesday , June 17 th at 4 PM EDT , U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) , Ranking Member of the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution , the Knight First Amendment Institute , Mohsen Mahdawi , a Vermonter and Columbia University student targeted by the Trump Administration , and Members of Congress will hold a press conference on Capitol Hill following a congressional briefing on threats to freedom of speech in the United States, including the Trump Administration’s use of immigration authorities to target noncitizens because of speech and association the government dislikes. The press conference will highlight the First Amendment and the need for Congress to reform the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) to safeguard visa-holders and legal permanent residents whose constitutionally-protected speech and association has been targeted by the Trump Administration, including pro-Palestinian student protesters Mohsen Mahdawi , Mahmoud Khalil , and Rümeysa Öztürk . Earlier this week, an immigration judge ordered Mahdawi to be deported; Mahdawi is appealing the ruling with the support of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). Section 237(a)(4)(C) of the INA renders an individual deportable if: “the Secretary of State has reasonable ground to believe” that the individual’s presence or activities in the United States “would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences.” Beyond targeting students for anti-war protests, the administration has used it to target researchers and advocates whose work focuses on social media and online harms. The Vermont Congressional Delegation decried the Trump Administration’s illegal and immoral detention of Mohsen Mahdawi of White River Junction, Vermont, in March 2025. Senator Welch met with Mahdawi in Vermont during his detention and subsequently published an opinion piece in the Boston Globe entitled: “ Detained activist Mohsen Mahdawi: ‘A prisoner of this White House ,’” outlining the dangers and consequences of the Trump Administration’s determination to run roughshod over the First Amendment. LOGISTICS : WHO: U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.); Nadine Farid Johnson, Policy Director, the Knight First Amendment  Institute; Mohsen Mahdawi, Columbia University student currently being targeted  for deportation by the Trump Administration under the INA ; Additional members of Congress, to be announced WHEN: Wednesday, June 17 th at 4:00 PM EDT WHERE: Senate Swamp, Capitol Hill RSVP: Media are asked to RSVP to Aaron_White@welch.senate.gov and gabriel.tyler@knightcolumbia.org . ###