Washington DC - A federal judge on Tuesday ruled a man who was threatened by the Trump administration over his criticism of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement was protected by the First Amendment.

"Americans have long voiced their displeasure with their government," Judge Rudolph Contreras of the US District Court for the District of Columbia said in a legal ruling on Tuesday. "Today is no different… What is different is how the government responded."

Contreras was scathing of President Donald Trump's administration, ruling that it had potentially violated the First Amendment rights of David Streever, the Rochester man who was threatened by federal agents after he criticized ICE.

In June, Streever was visited by ICE officers who warned that an email he'd sent then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons could be perceived as a threat.

Referring to Lyons as "a monstrous human being," the original message – sent in January – compared the director to Reinhard Heydrich, the high-ranking SS Officer who played a key role in the Holocaust.

"The way you are protecting the obvious execution in Minnesota, even as we see the videos, will lead to your downfall," the email read. "You will never know peace… You will torment yourself until your last day on Earth."

In response to the incident, Streever sued the Trump administration claiming that the visit was an attempt to "confront and intimidate him," something that would amount to a breach of the First Amendment.

After Contreras' ruling – which largely agreed with Streever's assessment – the Department of Homeland Security doubled down on claims he had threatened Lyons.

"Any allegation that DHS and its components are attempting to 'squash' free speech is categorically false," a DHS spokesperson said in the statement.

"ICE investigates all credible threats toward its employees and officers, including threats to the ICE director."