Common Cause Lawsuit Accuses Federal Agencies of Surveilling and Intimidating ICE Observers

Common Cause and Minneapolis resident Michael Khalili filed a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C., on September 10, 2026, accusing the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Justice, the FBI and other agencies of violating the First Amendment and privacy rights of people who observe immigration enforcement. The 94-page complaint, litigated by the Campaign Legal Center, describes seven Common Cause members in Maryland, Minnesota and New Jersey who say they were photographed, followed, reported to police, pepper-sprayed or threatened with a visit to their homes, and asks a judge to bar retaliation nationwide. Khalili says his Global Entry status was revoked a day after ICE officers photographed him in March, and that law enforcement queried his records 55 times after March 2026, compared with two queries before he began observing. DHS said ICE “respects the First Amendment rights of individuals to observe” but will act if observers obstruct operations; the FBI declined to comment.