MARKEY, WARREN, VAN HOLLEN, PRESSLEY, LAWMAKERS QUESTION RUBIO ON ABUSE OF POWER TO DEPORT STUDENTS, ACADEMICS; VIOLATION OF FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS

WASHINGTON, March 2 -- Sen. Edward J. Markey issued the following press release:

Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Representative Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), led 12 lawmakers in pressing Secretary of State Marco Rubio on his abuse of power and possible First Amendment violations. Recent reports revealed that under Secretary Rubio, the State Department reportedly targeted students and academics for detention and deportation based on constitutionally protected speech.

"This abuse of your authority risks normalizing a future where Secretaries of State may summarily revoke visas based on speech, depriving individuals of their rights and whittling down the guarantees of the First Amen...