The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sent administrative subpoenas to several social media accounts, including StopICE.net and Long Beach Rapid Response, which shared a video naming and shaming a Border Patrol agent who attended recent immigration raids in Los Angeles. The agents’ names were revealed after the agency attempted to use a broad legal provision to obtain documents from the platforms.
The subpoenas were issued as part of an investigation into “officer safety” but critics argue that this is a thinly veiled attempt to intimidate and chill free speech critical of immigration policies. Social media companies have been directed to provide subscriber information, emails, and phone numbers associated with the accounts named in the subpoenas.
Tech companies are often better positioned than users to challenge these subpoenas in court, and experts say that the government’s actions are an overreach of its authority. The StopICE.net developer has filed a motion to quash the subpoena, arguing that providing the requested information would compromise his fundamental rights to free association and engage in political speech.
The move comes as critics of President Trump’s administration accuse him of waging an authoritarian takeover of the US government. As DHS seeks to silence those who speak out against immigration policies, it has become increasingly clear that the agency is using its power to intimidate and suppress dissenting voices.
Source: https://theintercept.com/2025/09/18/dhs-subpoena-ice-instagram-dox