New York Man Sues ICE After Confrontation Over Critical Letter
The Facts
- David Streever, a Rochester, N.Y., resident, filed a federal lawsuit Monday against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), alleging officials violated his First Amendment rights after he sent a critical email to former acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
- Streever's email, sent in January after two people were killed by ICE officers during an immigration operation in Minneapolis, called Lyons a "monstrous human being" and compared him to a Nazi official. DHS didn't respond to the email for five months.
- In June, two Homeland Security Investigations agents visited Streever's home and delivered a warning notice to his wife stating that he may have violated federal law. Streever was in Finland with his daughter at the time.
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The Spin
Left narrative
ICE's actions in this instance were a blatant abuse of power. The First Amendment always protects angry political speech, and the U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly said heated rhetoric aimed at public officials isn't a crime. Sending agents to someone's home and hotel to silence dissent is exactly what a police state does, not a free country.
Right narrative
ICE agents are facing an immense surge in death threats. The letter Streever sent, which warned a federal director that he'd "never know peace" and would "torment himself until his last day," is exactly the kind of language that warrants a follow-up. Checking on someone who sent that kind of message is the responsibility of law enforcement.
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