[Paigelynne Gonyea ](https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06/federal-agents-track-down-syracuse-woman-demand-she-remove-instagram-post-about-ice.html "https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06/federal-agents-track-down-syracuse-woman-demand-she-remove-instagram-post-about-ice.html")wasn’t sure Onondaga County Board of Elections commissioners would hire her to work as a poll worker after the attention she drew in the June primary. But they did and she returned to the downtown library today to help voters through Election Day. In June, two agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracked Gonyea to her job at a primary election polling place to deliver a warning letter about her Instagram account. They said she had threatened a law enforcement officer in a January post when she named the Border Patrol agent who shot and killed Minnesota protester Renee Good. Agents accused Gonyea of posting the agent’s name – Jonathan Ross – and his address. Gonyea admitted she named the agent, a fact that had been widely reported in the news. She said Ross should be indicted. She said she did not post his address and cannot find any evidence of a post with an address. Either way, she believes she has a First Amendment right to share a name and address on the Internet. Last week, [Gonyea sued ICE ](https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2026/10/syracuse-woman-sues-ice-after-2-agents-warned-her-about-an-instagram-post.html "https://www.syracuse.com/politics/2026/10/syracuse-woman-sues-ice-after-2-agents-warned-her-about-an-instagram-post.html")in pursuit of records that would show where they got that information. She believes ICE agents fabricated an Instagram post. She is represented by lawyers for the New York Civil Liberties Union. ... The moment federal agents walked into a polling place, they signaled alarms about voter intimidation, citizen surveillance and free speech. “I really think that we are in scary times,” she said. The warning letter was serious. It hangs on her refrigerator. It said, “This notice officially informs you that it is unlawful to threaten to assault, kidnap, and/or murder a federal official or that federal official’s immediate family member with the intent to impede, intimidate, and/or interfere with the federal official’s duties or retaliate against a federal official due to the performance of their duties.” After agents delivered the letter to Gonyea, they went to Rochester to deliver a similar warning to [David Streever,](https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06/another-ice-threat-visit-how-did-agents-track-down-this-critic-on-his-vacation.html "https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/06/another-ice-threat-visit-how-did-agents-track-down-this-critic-on-his-vacation.html") who had written an angry email to the former acting ICE Director Todd Lyons. [Streever also sued ICE](https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/07/ice-critic-sues-us-government-over-free-speech-after-federal-agents-track-him-down.html "https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/07/ice-critic-sues-us-government-over-free-speech-after-federal-agents-track-him-down.html"). A federal judge said agents [likely violated his First Amendment rights.](https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/09/federal-judge-says-ice-likely-violated-upstate-ny-mans-free-speech-with-warning-over-angry-email.html "https://www.syracuse.com/news/2026/09/federal-judge-says-ice-likely-violated-upstate-ny-mans-free-speech-with-warning-over-angry-email.html") Gonyea encouraged Streever to share his story. She said she has spoken with at least 10 other people who received similar warning letters, but were afraid to go public. ... Critics said she was simply trying to win attention or make money. Someone threatened violence against her family, she said. “There’s no money with suing the federal government,” she said. “I’m hoping to set a precedent, maybe have some kind of further protections on the First Amendment right, some government oversights...policy and procedural changes so this doesn’t happen to me or anyone else again.” Gonyea has not heard from ICE agents since June. But there is evidence that they continue to pursue her. In September, Meta alerted Gonyea that the U.S. Justice Department had issued a federal grand jury subpoena for records related to her Instagram account. ... Military troops and armed federal officers, including immigration agents, are not allowed at polling places under state and federal law, James reminded voters last week. New York law says local governments and their employees may not grant access to federal agents for immigration purposes unless the officers present a judicial warrant or a court order, she said.