A new federal lawsuit alleges that the federal government is systematically intimidating individuals who monitor and document immigration enforcement operations across the United States. For months, Minneapolis resident Michael Khalili tracked and recorded federal immigration officers after they surged into the Twin Cities area last winter. Khalili noted that bystander videos were critical in debunking inaccurate claims spread by Trump administration officials after federal immigration officers fatally shot fellow Minneapolis observer Alex Pretti in January, such as labeling Pretti a would-be assassin and an act of domestic terrorism. Khalili suspended his observation activities due to rising risks, family pressure, and tense encounters with federal officers who photographed him, took pictures of his vehicle, and ordered him to stop following them. Following these interactions, Khalili faced retaliation, including the temporary revocation of his Global Entry status, threats of harassment charges from a state trooper, and concerns from his wife that federal agents might arrest him at home. Khalili joined the nonprofit Common Cause as a named plaintiff in a federal lawsuit filed Thursday against the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the FBI, and other agencies. The complaint accuses federal authorities of violating the First Amendment and privacy rights of observers, seeking national relief and an injunction from a Washington, D.C., judge to block intimidation and retaliation against monitors. Common Cause vice president for litigation Maryam Jazini Dorcheh emphasized that the right to criticize and hold the government accountable is central to American democracy and is currently under threat. The 94-page complaint details disturbing incidents involving seven Common Cause members across Maryland, Minnesota, and New Jersey, including being photographed, followed, pepper-sprayed, reported to police, and threatened with home visits by federal officers. In Maryland, an ICE officer allegedly told local police to ban a Common Cause member from a public parking lot and stated they used facial recognition to identify them. The lawsuit also incorporates declarations from previous cases in states such as Illinois, Maine, and Tennessee. Danielle Lang, vice president of voting rights and rule of law at the Campaign Legal Center, described the retaliation as a top-down policy rather than isolated incidents. The complaint cites Trump administration directives, including National Security Presidential Memorandum 7 and DOJ operational memos, which link opposition to immigration enforcement with domestic terrorism. The suit also points to public statements and internal memos equating observers to violent rioters and domestic terrorists, the repeal of guardrails restricting facial recognition and license plate readers, and the dismantling of the DHS Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Retaliatory tactics highlighted in the lawsuit include threats of force or arrest, gathering personal information to intimidate observers, pursuing criminal charges, and imposing civil penalties like administrative subpoenas or revoking Trusted Traveler programs such as Global Entry and TSA PreCheck. Records obtained by Khalili revealed that law enforcement queried his state motor vehicle records 55 times since March 2026, compared to only two queries before he began observing. His Global Entry status was revoked a day after an encounter with ICE officers and was only reinstated after a journalist inquired about it. Khalili also experienced additional questioning by U.S. immigration officials when returning to the U.S. from a family vacation to Ireland. He hopes the lawsuit will establish necessary safeguards and corrective changes so that citizens can safely hold the government accountable.
Source: npr.org
