Overview
- Last week two federal officers handed a warning form to Syracuse poll worker Paigelynne Gonyea at a polling site after questioning her about a social post tied to the ICE officer who shot Renee Good.
- Also last week agents visited Rochester resident David Streever’s home while he was traveling in Finland and left a notice saying an email he sent to then-acting ICE director Todd Lyons in January was deemed a threat, and agents later tried to contact him at a New York City hotel.
- ICE and the Department of Homeland Security say they investigate all credible threats to employees and allege Gonyea posted an officer’s address online, which the agency describes as doxxing and a federal crime.
- Free-speech groups including FIRE and the ACLU say the warnings appear to target protected political speech and warn the visits risk chilling criticism; the New York attorney general’s office is reviewing the interactions and no federal charges have been announced.
- The cases highlight a legal tension between the criminal standard for a “true threat” and robust political speech, and they raise questions about investigative thresholds, transparency from DHS/ICE, and whether prosecutors will bring charges.