On January 26, 2026, citizen David Streever sent an email to the then acting director of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, Todd M. Lyons, to complain about the death of two people in immigration operations in Minneapolis.

“You are a monstrous human being and you will go down in history as the American Reinhard Heydrich, the butcher,” said the email from Streever, who did not hide his name or photograph. "The way you protect the obvious execution in Minnesota, even as we watch the videos, will lead to your downfall. Even Trump will turn against you before the end, and you will be a sad, despised man consumed by the shame of his pathetic weakness."

The letter that rejected the reaction of immigration agents in protests against operations in Minnesota led to a persecution against Streever, who after five months was searched by ICE agents in his home in New York, pointing him out for threatening Lyons, but now a lawsuit before the District Court of Washington, D.C., accuses the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), on which ICE depends, of attacking freedom of expression.

“The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) actively threatens that freedom, persecuting and retaliating against people like plaintiff David Streever for exercising his fundamental right to criticize one of the highest-ranking police officers in the United States,” says the lawsuit filed that Monday. “Our Constitution does not tolerate such abuse of authority.”

The defendants are the current Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin; David Venurella, officer in charge of ICE; Jennifer Fenton, associate director of ICE; John Doe, special agent in charge of ICE; David Brodie, ICE special agent; Abbi Henry, ICE Special Agent, and Trevor Pitts, also ICE Special Agent.

Streever's lawsuit was filed by the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), which released a video of ICE agents' visit to the plaintiff's home, as well as the email sent to Lyons.

“ICE Special Agents David Brodie and Abbi Henry visited Streever's home in Rochester and learned from his wife that Streever was traveling in Northern Europe with his seven-year-old daughter,” the lawsuit states. “Agents told Streever’s wife that he ‘may or may not have sent a threatening email’ to the Director of ICE and left an ominous ‘WARNING’ addressed to Streever.”

Plaintiff Streever is an author, journalist and father of two, and is married to the Rev. Hilary Streever, an Episcopal priest, with whom he lives in Rochester, New York, the lawsuit states.

The judicial process seeks for the court to prohibit the “unconstitutional actions” of the DHS and its agents, in the event of a possible violation of the First Amendment, in addition to preventing such actions from being repeated against other people.

“The Court has the authority to issue the requested injunctive relief pursuant to the Declaratory Judgments Act,” the lawsuit says. “This action is governed by the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and the Declaratory Sentencing Act.”

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