Federal agents visit woman over social media posts about immigration

Paigelynn Gonyea posted about immigration in Minneapolis in January. In June, agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement visited her and said one of her social media posts had identified a federal agent, according to reporting by NPR.

The agents requested that Gonyea remove the post. She declined, saying the post did not contain identifying information about any individual.

Gonyea was working as a poll worker at a voting location in Syracuse, New York on June 23 when the agents approached her. Video footage from the scene, shared on Facebook by another poll worker, showed federal agents speaking with Gonyea at the polling place.

The five-month gap between Gonyea's January posts and the June visit raised questions from Gonyea about the timing and basis for the visit. She said she received no prior notice from DHS before the agents arrived.

A spokesperson for DHS did not respond to requests for comment about the visit or the specific posts in question.

Gonyea's posts were part of broader social media discussion about immigration patterns in the Minneapolis area. She has not faced any formal charges or citations related to her posts.

The incident occurred during the 2024 election cycle, when poll worker access and voting location security attracted heightened scrutiny nationwide.