Federal immigration officials continued to deny a protester database even as evidence mounts that ICE records observers’ information. In Maine, occupational therapist Xenia Pantos saw agents photograph a license plate, and later her spouse received a threatening call from someone claiming to be DHS. The call warned that such actions could land them on a domestic‑terrorist watch list publicly recently officially.

The issue reached Congress after Rep. Maxwell Frost and eleven Democrats asked DHS about data collection. Acting ICE director Todd Lyons replied on April 21, acknowledging that agents may gather “biographic and biometric” details on individuals they deem a safety risk, even if no arrest occurs. Lyons insisted ICE lacks a dedicated protester or domestic‑terrorist database, but records are kept as official government files.

Civil‑rights lawyers cite the letter as the clearest admission that ICE systematically archives information on lawful observers. Cases in Minnesota, Tennessee and Maine show agents photographing faces, license plates and even revoking Global Entry status. With facial‑recognition tools and access to motor‑vehicle records, the agency can build detailed profiles without judicial oversight, raising serious First‑Amendment concerns.