FIRE Sues Trump Administration Over 1 Email to ICE, Alleging Retaliation Against Critic
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
FIRE Sues Trump Administration Over 1 Email to ICE, Alleging Retaliation Against Critic
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 6
Summary
A lawsuit filed Monday in federal court says Homeland Security officials used a June home visit and written warning to intimidate Rochester, New York, resident David Streever over an email criticizing ICE.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression argues Streever’s January message—calling ICE’s acting director a “monstrous human being” and comparing him to a Nazi official—was protected speech, not a criminal threat.
Federal agents told Streever he may have violated a law against threatening a federal law enforcement officer; the suit names Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, acting ICE director David Venturella and the agents involved.
The complaint asks the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to declare the investigation unconstitutional and bar similar probes, framing the case as a test of whether harsh criticism of immigration policy can trigger federal retaliation.