US Citizen Sues ICE After Agents Showed Up Over Critical Email

David Streever sent a strongly worded message to Immigration and Customs Enforcement; within days, agents were at his home and waiting outside his hotel.

David Streever, a US citizen, is suing ICE after agents appeared at his residence and staked out a hotel where he was staying.
The agency's attention appears to trace to a critical email Streever sent to ICE.
Streever's lawsuit alleges the visits constituted retaliation for constitutionally protected speech.
No immigration violation was alleged against Streever; he is a US citizen.
The case is being watched as an early test of whether ICE can use contact-and-presence tactics against domestic critics.

David Streever, a US citizen, filed suit against Immigration and Customs Enforcement after agents arrived at his home and later positioned themselves outside a hotel where he was staying, according to the complaint. The triggering event, per the filing, was an email — described in coverage of the suit as strongly worded — that Streever had sent to the agency.

Streever's lawsuit alleges the visits were retaliatory and violated his First Amendment rights. He has not been charged with any crime. No immigration violation has been alleged against him.

ICE has not publicly commented on the specifics of the complaint. The agency's deployment of agents to the homes and accommodations of domestic critics — rather than individuals subject to immigration proceedings — is the core of the legal challenge.

The complaint does not appear to allege that agents made entry or issued any formal demand. What it does allege is that they showed up, and waited.

Streever's email to ICE has not been released in full. The lawsuit does not specify which field office dispatched agents or on whose authorization.