Homeland Security did not respond to The Register 's request for comment.

Two US residents have sued several Homeland Security agencies and officials, including Secretary Kristi Noem, for allegedly using surveillance tools to harass them, branding them as "domestic terrorists," and even showing up at their homes based on license-plate recognition. 

On Monday, the nonprofit Protect Democracy filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of two Mainers, Elinor Hilton and Colleen Fagan, and other unnamed plaintiffs over what they describe as unconstitutional surveillance designed to deter them from exercising their First Amendment rights.

The court documents [PDF] cite the federal government's ongoing deportation push occurring across the US, and say "ordinary Americans in Maine are holding their government to account by bearing witness and protesting the government's abusive tactics."

This included the two women named in the lawsuit, both lifelong Maine residents, who observed and recorded law enforcement officers' activities in public places. 

In response, in what the lawsuit says ...