The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued administrative subpoenas to major technology companies including Google, Meta, Reddit and Discord seeking to identify individuals behind social media accounts critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, escalating a legal clash over anonymous speech and executive authority.
According to court filings, DHS lawyers said the subpoenas are intended to "investigate threats to its own officers or impediments to their officers." The department has invoked what it describes as "broad administrative subpoena authority," allowing it to compel records without prior judicial approval.
The scope of the demands has drawn alarm from civil liberties advocates, who argue the government is pushing federal power into constitutionally protected territory. Unlike traditional warrants, administrative subpoenas can be authorized internally and served directly on companies, bypassing court review at the outset.
Meta received at least two subpoenas related to anti-ICE content, according to individuals familiar with the matter. Other platforms reportedly received similar demands seeking subscriber information, including:
- Names
- Email addresses
- Phone numbers
Some companies have complied. Others have notified affected account holders, giving them 10 to 14 days to challenge the orders in court.
One targeted account, Montco Community Watch, posts bilingual alerts about ICE activity in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. After Meta informed the account's operators of the subpoena, the American Civil Liberties Union filed suit in federal court seeking to block enforcement. Before a judge could rule, DHS withdrew that specific subpoena.
Civil liberties lawyers interpret the withdrawal as tactical rather than transformative. "The government is taking more liberties than they used to," said Steve Loney, senior supervising attorney at ACLU Pennsylvania. "It's a whole other level of frequency and lack of accountability."
The subpoena campaign coincides with broader enforcement tensions. In Minneapolis and other cities, federal agents have reportedly informed anti-ICE protesters that they are being recorded and identified. White House border czar Tom Homan has discussed creating a database of individuals arrested for interfering with ICE and Border Patrol operations.
DHS maintains that officer safety justifies the information requests. Critics counter that unmasking anonymous critics risks chilling lawful dissent and community organizing. Anonymous speech has long been protected under Supreme Court precedent, particularly when tied to political advocacy.
The confrontation recalls a 2017 dispute during President Donald Trump's first term, when the platform then known as Twitter sued to block an administrative subpoena aimed at identifying a user critical of the administration. That subpoena was ultimately dropped following public backlash.
