Federal Officers Visit New Yorkers Over ICE Criticism

David Streever from Rochester, New York, was recently warned by federal officers due to online activity criticizing the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Streever’s attorney, Adam Steinbaugh, stated that officers served his wife with a warning notice while Streever was traveling in Finland. The notice concerned an email he sent months earlier, deemed a threat by authorities.

The email was sent to Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE at the time, following an incident where an ICE officer fatally shot Renee Good during an anti-ICE protest in Minneapolis. Streever’s message labeled Lyons as “a monstrous human being” who “will never know peace.” The warning coincided with a similar incident involving another New Yorker, Paigelynne Gonyea.

Gonyea, a poll worker in Syracuse, reported that federal officers confronted her at a voting site during New York’s primaries. The confrontation stemmed from a social media post criticizing the ICE officer involved in Good’s shooting. Other attempts were made to contact Streever upon his return from Finland, but hotel staff turned the officers away, according to Steinbaugh.

In Streever’s email, he warned Lyons: “The way you are protecting the obvious execution in Minnesota, even as we see the videos, will lead to your downfall.” He further stated that even former President Trump would eventually turn against Lyons. ICE refrained from commenting, citing the ongoing investigation.

Steinbaugh argued the email constituted political speech protected by the First Amendment, emphasizing that it didn’t meet the criteria of a true threat. Streever expressed surprise that his letter led to federal officers showing up at his home.

No contact has been made by Streever with the Department of Homeland Security, to which ICE is subordinate, following the warning, per his attorney.

Gonyea attributes her warning to a January social media post, featuring a picture of Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer involved in the shooting. Her post encouraged Ross’s indictment and remains online.

U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis accused Gonyea of sharing Ross’s address in a now redacted post. Bis stated that sharing an ICE officer’s address constitutes a federal crime. The New York Attorney General’s Office is aware of the federal agents’ interactions with both Streever and Gonyea and is reviewing the incident at the polls.

Advocates for free speech, like Nathan Freed Wessler from the ACLU, argue these actions by federal agents represent an overreach. They warn that such measures aim to suppress constitutionally protected speech.