David Streever Sues DHS Over First Amendment Violations

David Streever, a resident of Rochester, New York, filed a lawsuit in a Washington, D.C. federal court against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and Secretary Markwayne Mullin. The suit alleges that federal agents violated Streever's First Amendment rights by tracking and intimidating him after he sent a critical email to then-acting ICE Director Todd Lyons in January 2026. In the email, written following fatal immigration enforcement shootings in Minneapolis, Streever compared Lyons to a Nazi official and stated, "You will never know peace."

According to the lawsuit, armed ICE officers visited Streever's home while he was traveling in Finland to deliver a warning notice to his wife stating he "MAY BE IN VIOLATION OF FEDERAL LAW." Agents later tracked Streever to a New York City hotel and made repeated phone calls to him. The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, which represents Streever, argues these actions were designed to intimidate protected political speech.

Secretary Markwayne Mullin and the Department of Homeland Security denied attempts to "squash" free speech, maintaining that the agency investigates all credible threats against its employees. The case coincides with a similar incident involving Paigelynne Gonyea, a Syracuse poll worker who was confronted by federal agents at a polling place over an Instagram post. The Department of Homeland Security accused Gonyea of doxxing an ICE officer, an allegation she denies. The New York Attorney General's Office is currently reviewing these interactions.