David Streever, a U.S. citizen from Rochester, New York, has filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Washington, D.C., claiming that officials violated his First Amendment right to free speech. The lawsuit follows an incident last month when two ICE officers visited Streever's home while he was abroad in Finland with his 7-year-old daughter. They handed his wife a warning notice stating that an email Streever sent months earlier was considered a threat.

In January, Streever emailed Todd Lyons, then acting ICE director, criticizing the agency's tactics after an ICE agent fatally shot U.S. citizen Renee Nicole Good during an immigration raid in Minneapolis. The email included strong language, warning that the agency's actions would lead to its downfall and comparing the agent involved to "America's Reinhard Heydrich, the butcher."

The lawsuit also names Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Mullin's office responded, stating, "Any allegation DHS and its components are attempting to ‘squash’ free speech is categorically FALSE," according to the Associated Press.

This warning to Streever coincided with another incident involving Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker from Syracuse, New York. Gonyea said two federal officers confronted her at a voting site during New York’s primaries regarding a social media post she made about Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who killed Good. DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis shared an image of a different social media post from Gonyea, claiming the woman shared Ross’ address, though part of the post was redacted.

Separately, former acting ICE Director Tom Homan addressed protests in Newark, New Jersey, and rejected calls by NYC Mayor Mamdani to abolish ICE, promising increased federal immigration enforcement in New York due to local non-cooperation.

Sources

  • Fox News Latest (Jeffrey Carlson / Crimson Dawn Media)
  • Associated Press statements via DHS spokesperson Lauren Bis