MPAC Supports Land of the Free Act & Commends Senators Welch, Van Hollen, and Durbin for Standing with Students and Dissenting Voices
Washington, D.C. | www.mpac.org | June 18, 2026 —The Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC) commends U.S. Senators Peter Welch, Chris Van Hollen, and Dick Durbin, alongside the Knight First Amendment Institute, for convening a vital Capitol press conference with student activist Mohsen Mahdawi. MPAC attended this critical briefing and recognized this a dangerous domestic reality: an unequal, targeted unleashing of federal law and the retaliatory deportation of non-citizens who dare to speak out against administration policies and U.S. foreign affairs.
Nowhere is this authoritarian overreach more alarming than the administration's severe domestic crackdown on students, scholars, and advocates who speak out in solidarity with Palestinian human rights. MPAC strongly endorses Senator Welch and Senator Alex Padilla’s bicameral Land of the Free Act, which seeks to repeal Section 237(a)(4)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This rarely used provision grants the executive branch unreviewable power to deport visa-holders and lawful permanent residents under the vague guise of "adverse foreign policy consequences"—effectively weaponizing immigration status to punish political expression and peaceful civic engagement. As Senator Welch powerfully noted, the notion that a president can deport someone for speaking out against an administration is fundamentally contrary to American rights.
MPAC’s First Amendment Center continues to advocate for students who fearlessly speak out for human dignity. They should never face intimidation, unconstitutional tracking, or the threat of exile because of their viewpoints. True national strength is found in our unwavering adherence to the rule of law and the protection of civil liberties for everyone on American soil. As our nation approaches its 250th anniversary, MPAC calls on Congress to forcefully reassert its constitutional role over matters of war and peace, reject discriminatory law enforcement overreach, and pass the Land of the Free Act to ensure that the First Amendment remains a meaningful shield against government tyranny.
