PORTLAND, MAINE — Former acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) director Todd Lyons sent a letter to Congress on April 21, denying the agency maintains a database of protesters. Lyons's letter stated that ICE allows itself latitude to collect information on individuals suspected of potential federal law violations, including interference with operations or matters concerning officer safety.
The denial from Lyons contradicts allegations made by observers in Portland, Maine, and claims in a federal lawsuit. During January 2026 operations in Portland, Maine, pediatric occupational therapist Xenia Pantos observed masked federal agents and vehicles with tinted windows from at least 10 feet away. Pantos also observed an agent photographing another observer's license plate.
Nonprofit consultant Carly Williams received a telephone call from a blocked number hours later. The caller identified himself as calling from the Department of Homeland Security and inquired about other drivers of Williams's vehicle. The caller asked Williams if she knew her spouse had stopped at the incident that morning. Williams stated, "What he basically said was, 'You should let her know to not do that anymore because people who are doing that type of thing are getting added to a domestic terrorist watch list.'"
The lawsuit represents Pantos, Williams, and other observers, alleging First Amendment rights violations from federal agents. The suit claims federal agents attempted to intimidate observers by recording their faces and license plates and threatening to add individuals to a domestic terrorism database. JoAnna Suriani, a lawyer at Protect Democracy, said, "Anyone who has seen the videos of our clients' interactions with ICE agents can see they are not impeding anything and pose no threat to anyone, so why was their information collected."
The letter also stated ICE collects essential biographic and biometric information, along with situational details, at protests involving alleged criminal conduct. He added, "If individuals who interact with ICE officers are not arrested or detained, any information collected during those encounters is maintained consistent with applicable law and DHS and ICE policies and is treated as an official government record."
DHS officials have consistently denied maintaining a database that tracks U.S. citizens or domestic terrorists. U.S. Representative Maxwell Frost and 11 other Democratic members of Congress wrote to DHS in February regarding data collection on protesters. In January, a DHS official issued a memo to immigration agents temporarily assigned to Minneapolis, instructing them to collect personal information about protesters, including license plates, identifications, and images. Observers in Minnesota and Tennessee reported that agents photographed their faces and license plates and later determined their identities and addresses.
Agents have access to facial recognition technology and vehicle registration records. Some observers reported Global Entry status revocation after interacting with federal immigration officials. Global Entry, operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, offers expedited processing for pre-approved travelers. Frost said, "That is the concern, that we have an agency that has been tasked with immigration enforcement having a database relating to Americans exercising the First Amendment, which is wrong."