A view of the sign in front of US Homeland Security Department on Nebraska Avenue in Washington, D.C., U.S. February 15, 2026. (Reuters File)
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A federal class action lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Maine alleges the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agencies unlawfully tracked and intimidated people who lawfully observe and record immigration enforcement operations, NPR reported.
The suit, brought by Protect Democracy and the law firms Dunn Isaacson Rhee and Drummond Woodsum, says agents gathered observers’ personal information, scanned faces, recorded license plates and labeled some as “domestic terrorists” in retaliation for protected speech.
Colleen Fagan, a social worker in Portland, Maine, joined the lawsuit after a masked federal agent told her, “now you’re considered a domestic terrorist,” while she recorded an operation. Another plaintiff, Elinor Hilton, alleges agents captured her image and plate number and threatened to place her on a watchlist.
DHS told NPR there is no “database of domestic terrorists” run by the department and said its law enforcement methods follow the Constitution.
The lawsuit seeks to halt the alleged practices and expunge collected records.
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