The lack of follow-through could be a reflection of the First Amendment concerns most doxing laws and charges pose, legal experts say
By Shaanth Nanguneri
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem set expectations high in July.
Well before her appearance at Portland’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility last week, she had promised swift legal action against “anarchists” and “Antifa-affiliated groups” who allegedly circulated the names, pictures and addresses of ICE officers in the city. Citing flyers of agents’ personal information and a photo of trash piled up on an officer’s lawn, she blamed unnamed politicians for “actively encouraging these attacks.”
“We will prosecute those who dox ICE agents to the fullest extent of the law,” Noem pledged in July. “These criminals are taking the side of vicious cartels and human traffickers.”
But three months later, it appears her agency has yet to follow through, even as federal prosecutors in a neighboring jurisdiction move faster to target doxing. A Tuesday press release from the homeland security department alleges that drug cartels have put bounties on ICE agents, repeating Noem’s claims that Portland Antifa groups have doxed agent’s identities without mentioning specific evidence.
