Spill The ICE Tea

·43 min·3 clips

A masked federal agent told Portland observer Colleen Fagan 'now you're considered a domestic terrorist' after scanning her face and license plate—prompting a federal lawsuit arguing DHS is either maintaining an unconstitutional database or lying to intimidate observers.

Tuesday, February 24, 2026 opens with a fast headline run. Dana Goldberg moves from a Mexican military raid backed by the United States to an ICE whistleblower coming forward to testify before Congress. Protest is where the episode slows down. Goldberg talks about people planning to protest, including No Kings protesters and people protesting ICE, and tells listeners to take precautions seriously. Fagan then takes over the story. She recorded a masked agent in public, asked why information was being taken, and captured an answer that spread online. The agent said there was a database and told her she was now considered a domestic terrorist. Fagan, identified as a social worker, has joined a federal class action lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and several sub-agencies. The lawsuit says federal agents are chilling and suppressing lawful speech by collecting personal information from people observing immigration enforcement. Fagan puts it plainly: recording agents in public is a right, and peaceful dissent is not a crime. The host treats that as the point. Protect Democracy and the named law firms allege retaliation against people documenting federal immigration activity in their own communities. Plaintiffs say they are being pushed to give up constitutional rights or accept being cataloged and branded as domestic terrorists. DHS did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and officials denied the existence of a DHS database of alleged domestic terrorists. The close turns back to care-taking language and credits Allison Gill, Dana Goldberg, Desiree McFarlane, Joelle Reeder, They Might Be Giants, and MSW Media.

As heard by us

A sharp civil-liberties briefing on DHS scrutiny, protest observation, and the risks of documenting immigration enforcement.

The Daily Beans turns a packed news rundown into a civil-liberties warning about immigration enforcement, protest, and public documentation. Its strongest section follows a federal class action suit alleging DHS and related agencies retaliated against people who observed or…

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Why you'd press play

For when you want the ICE story, the lawsuit, and the day's outrage without the fluff.

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