A second resident in upstate New York has reported being warned by federal officers for online activity that criticized U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). David Streever, of Rochester, stated that two officers visited his home last week while he was traveling and presented his wife with a warning notice. The notice pertained to an email Streever sent months earlier to Todd Lyons, then the acting director of ICE.
Streever sent the email in January following the fatal shooting of Minneapolis resident Renee Good during an anti-ICE demonstration. In the email, Streever referred to Lyons as a “monstrous human being” and stated he would “never know peace.” According to Adam Steinbaugh, an attorney with the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression representing Streever, the email also predicted that “Even Trump will turn on you before the end, and you will be a sad, despised man who eats himself alive with shame at your own pathetic weakness.”
Federal agents reportedly attempted to confront Streever at a hotel in New York City upon his return from Finland, but hotel staff denied them entry. Steinbaugh contended that the email constituted protected political speech and was not a true threat, defining a true threat as a serious expression of intent to commit violence. Streever stated that he was upset by the shootings in Minnesota and felt compelled to express his outrage by writing to the head of ICE, never anticipating a visit from federal officers.
This incident follows a similar report from Paigelynne Gonyea, a poll worker in Syracuse, who said federal officers visited her at a voting location during New York's primaries. Gonyea believes her warning was related to a social media post from January that identified Jonathan Ross, the ICE officer who shot and killed Good, and suggested it was a “great day for Jonathan to be indicted.” A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security stated that Gonyea had committed a federal crime by posting an ICE officer's address online and warned that officers would investigate and bring to justice anyone who doxxes their personnel.
Representatives for ICE declined to comment on Streever's case, citing an ongoing investigation, but provided a statement that the agency investigates all credible threats towards its employees and officers. The New York Attorney General's Office is reportedly aware of the interactions between both residents and federal agents and is reviewing the circumstances surrounding Gonyea's encounter with federal agents at the polls.
Free speech advocates have raised concerns that these incidents represent an infringement on privacy and free expression. They assert that the First Amendment protects criticism of government officials and that pursuing individuals for expressing opposition to government actions constitutes an abuse of power intended to chill constitutionally protected speech.