Federal Judge Rules Email to ICE About Actions Not Illegal

A federal judge ruled on September 15, 2026, that it is not illegal to send an email to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials stating that their actions will haunt them. The ruling grants a preliminary injunction that prevents ICE from threatening to prosecute an individual for protected speech. The case arose when David Streever sent an email in January to then-acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, expressing outrage over the killings of two Minnesota protestors, Renee Good and Alex Pretti. In his email, Streever criticized Lyons, calling him a 'monstrous human being' and comparing him to a high-ranking Nazi officer. He predicted that Lyons would face consequences for defending the officers involved in the shootings of individuals who posed no threat. Streever's email included strong language, stating that Lyons would torment himself for his actions until his last day on Earth.