A U.S. citizen in upstate New York has sued Immigration and Customs Enforcement after federal officers went to his home with a warning notice over an email he sent criticizing the agency’s then-acting director.
David Streever, a Rochester resident, was in Finland in June when two officers arrived at his home and presented his wife with a notice saying the email had been treated as a threat, his attorneys said. The lawsuit was filed Monday in Washington, D.C.
Streever sent the email in January to Todd Lyons, who was then acting director of ICE, after an immigration officer fatally shot Minneapolis resident Renee Good during an anti-ICE demonstration. In the email, Streever called Lyons “a monstrous human being” and said he “will never know peace.”
The lawsuit accuses ICE of violating Streever’s First Amendment rights. The Philadelphia-based Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression is representing him and said the case centers on political speech.
“This is very clearly within the protection of the First Amendment,” foundation attorney Adam Steinbaugh said. “It was in the context of political speech.”
Streever is at least the second upstate New York resident to receive a federal warning in June after criticizing ICE online. Another case involved an election worker who said officers confronted her at a polling place over a social media post.
ICE previously declined to comment on the warning to Streever, citing an ongoing investigation, and the agency did not immediately comment Monday. The lawsuit also names Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. His office said, “Any allegation DHS and its components are attempting to ‘squash’ free speech is categorically FALSE.”
