New York Man Sues DHS Over Investigation of Email to Former ICE Director

A New York man filed a federal lawsuit Monday alleging that Department of Homeland Security agents tracked him to his home and a hotel, called him repeatedly, and served him a warning notice after he sent an email criticizing a former Immigration and Customs Enforcement official.

David Streever of Rochester sent the three-paragraph email to then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons following an ICE operation in Minnesota in which officers shot and killed two people. In the message, Streever compared Lyons to Nazi official Reinhard Heydrich, called him “a monstrous human being,” and wrote, “You will never know peace.

” The complaint, filed with the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression in federal court in Washington, D.C., states the email contained no threat of violence and was protected speech. It alleges agents monitored Streever’s travel and issued a notice citing federal statutes against threats to government officials.

DHS issued a statement Monday rejecting the lawsuit’s claims. “Any allegation DHS and its components are attempting to ‘squash’ free speech is categorically FALSE,” the statement said. It added that ICE investigates all credible threats toward its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE Director, and cited increases in assaults, vehicular attacks, and death threats against its personnel.

The lawsuit alleges the investigation caused Streever and his family anxiety and led him to self-censor some speech on social media. It seeks a court declaration that the department’s actions were unconstitutional and an order barring similar actions against protected political speech in the future.