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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has issued hundreds of administrative subpoenas to major technology companies in recent months, demanding identifying information on anonymous users who have posted criticism of Immigration and Customs Enforcement online, according to a New York Times investigation published Friday.
Google, Reddit, Discord, and Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, have all received the legal demands, four government officials and tech industry employees with direct knowledge of the matter told the Times. The sources were not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
Google, Meta, and Reddit have complied with at least some of the government's requests, turning over personal details linked to anonymous accounts that had posted content critical of ICE. The Times reported that it had reviewed two of the subpoenas sent to Meta. The companies said they assess each request before responding and, in some cases, alert affected users so they have an opportunity to mount a legal challenge.
The scope and pace of the surveillance effort alarmed civil liberties advocates. "The government is taking more liberties than they used to," said Steve Loney, a supervising attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania. "It's a whole other level of frequency and lack of accountability."
DHS said it possesses "broad administrative subpoena authority" but did not respond directly to questions about the specific requests. In court filings, department lawyers argued the information was being sought to protect ICE agents working in the field.
The ACLU has pushed back on that rationale. At a January 14 court hearing in California, the organization argued the government is wielding its subpoena power to target individuals whose speech it finds objectionable, a claim that strikes at the heart of First Amendment protections.
The Trump administration has defended a range of controversial enforcement practices, including allowing ICE officers to wear masks and withhold their names during operations, arguing that agents have been targeted by critics of the agency. Officials have provided little evidence to support that assertion.
The revelations about the surveillance campaign land amid a sweeping ICE enforcement drive across multiple states that has ensnared longtime U.S. residents and asylum seekers alike. At least two American citizens who had voiced opposition to ICE have died in connection with the crackdown. Public opinion surveys have shown broad disapproval of ICE and its methods.
Meta, Reddit, and Discord all declined to comment on the Times report.
Administrative subpoenas differ from judicial subpoenas in that they do not require approval from a judge or grand jury. Federal agencies can issue them unilaterally under various statutory authorities, a mechanism that civil liberties groups have long argued lacks adequate oversight, particularly when the information sought
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