David Streever, a Rochester resident and U.S. citizen, is suing Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal officers appeared at his home in June with a warning about an email he had sent months earlier criticizing the agency's leadership.
Streever was traveling in Finland when two ICE officers delivered the notice to his wife. The email in question was sent in January to Todd Lyons, then acting director of ICE, and came in response to a fatal shooting by an immigration officer in Minneapolis.
That officer, Jonathan Ross, shot and killed Renee Good during an anti-ICE demonstration that was captured on video. Streever's email called Lyons "a monstrous human being" who "will never know peace" and compared him to a Nazi-era figure. The message went on to suggest Lyons would face isolation and self-torment.
The lawsuit, filed Monday in Washington D.C., argues the federal government violated Streever's first amendment right to free speech. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is representing him.
"This is very clearly within the protection of the first amendment," said Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the organization. "It was in the context of political speech."
The suit names both ICE and Markwayne Mullin, secretary of homeland security, which oversees the agency. Mullin's office responded with a statement denying allegations that the department was attempting to suppress free expression, while asserting that those who threaten law enforcement would face consequences.
ICE declined to comment on the warning, citing an ongoing investigation. Federal agents also attempted to confront Streever at a New York City hotel after his return from Finland, but hotel staff turned them away, according to Streever's legal team.
The episode is not isolated. Federal officials visited poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea at a voting location during New York's primary elections the same week they went to Streever's home. Gonyea had posted on social media saying "I think today is a great day for Jonathan to be indicted," alongside a photo of Ross, the officer who killed Good.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson later claimed Gonyea had shared Ross's address online and committed a federal crime. In a statement, the spokesperson warned that those who "doxx" federal officers would be investigated and prosecuted.
Gonyea's post came after Ross had already been identified by news outlets. The New York attorney general's office has said it is aware of both residents' contacts with federal agents and is reviewing the interaction with Gonyea at the polls.
Author James Rodriguez: "When the government shows up at your door over political speech made during a legitimate national debate, the first amendment isn't just being tested, it's being bulldozed."
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