A New York man has filed a federal lawsuit against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging the agency violated his First Amendment rights by sending armed officers to his home after he emailed a senior ICE official criticizing the agency’s conduct.
David Streever, a U.S. citizen from Rochester, filed the lawsuit in Washington, D.C., against the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, and senior agency officials. He claims federal agents retaliated against him for protected political speech after he sent a strongly worded email to then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons following the fatal shooting of Renee Good by an immigration officer in Minneapolis earlier this year.
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According to the complaint, Streever’s January email sharply condemned Lyons over the incident, using inflammatory language but making no direct threat. While Streever was traveling in Finland with his daughter, ICE officers reportedly visited his Rochester home, delivered a warning notice to his wife. Later, they attempted to contact him at a New York City hotel after his return to the United States.
The lawsuit argues that the visit was intended to intimidate Streever for expressing his political views. It is being supported by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which contends that criticism of government officials, even when harsh, is protected under the U.S. Constitution.
Streever is seeking a court order preventing ICE from taking similar actions against him or other individuals engaged in protected speech. His attorneys argue that allowing federal agencies to investigate or confront citizens over political criticism could have a chilling effect on free expression.
The case comes amid broader scrutiny of ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, which has reportedly opened investigations involving critics of the agency, including people who posted about ICE operations on social media or emailed agency officials. Civil liberties advocates have questioned whether those investigations extend beyond the office’s traditional role of policing misconduct within ICE.
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The Department of Homeland Security has denied that it targets Americans for exercising their constitutional rights. Agency officials maintain that investigations are initiated only when communications or online activity could reasonably be interpreted as threats against federal personnel or involve the disclosure of sensitive personal information about officers.
The lawsuit follows another recent incident involving a New York poll worker who said federal agents questioned her over an anti-ICE social media post, further fueling debate over the balance between federal law enforcement efforts and First Amendment protections. The case will now proceed in federal court, where a judge will determine whether ICE’s actions constituted unlawful retaliation against protected speech.