- DHS issued subpoenas to tech companies demanding identities of anti-ICE account holders, including emails, names, and phone numbers.
- ACLU and others are suing, arguing subpoenas target protected speech and violate First Amendment rights.
- Critics warn move signals growing authoritarianism under the Trump administration and risks chilling free expression.
In what Americans are calling the latest authoritarian move, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has ordered tech giants to disclose information relating to anti-ICE accounts, including email addresses, names, and phone numbers.
DHS is targeting Americans who track or even criticize immigration policies, according to the New York Times.
According to the report, two orders were sent to Meta (Facebook) while some companies have already complied with DHS requests.
Other platforms alerted users and were given 10-14 days to fight the requests in court.
According to the DHS, it stated that it had “broad administrative subpoena authority.”
The premise behind DHS’s actions is simple, to protect its agents and keep them safe in the field.
However, Americans are now setting off the alarms these actions are a direct violation of free speech.
Americans Fight Back
For example, the American Civil Liberties Union has moved to block the demands in federal court. The argument here is that the U.S. government is directly targeting protected free speech.
When a group of people can no longer voice their thoughts or opinions on social media, American are left to wonder what else they will be prohibited to say in the future; that is unless the American people fight to protect this freedom of course.
Steve Loney, a senior supervising attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania said, “the government is taking more liberties than they used to.”
“It’s a whole other level of frequency and lack of accountability.”
Concerns Grow Over Trump Admin ‘Authoritarian’ Signals
Since Trump’s second administration, America has experienced a growth in pushback against the government’s aggressive immigration policies.
Between GOP members resigning, immigration judges getting replaced by military lawyers, and personal political retribution, Americans worry Trump has filled the government with ‘henchmen’ that will do his bidding.
Last month, White House border czar Tom Homan stated, “We’re going to make sure everyone knows who they are…we’re going to broadcast every one of these people [that] we arrest.”
While the subpoenas are focusing on exposing online critics, it’s a double-edged sword that blurs the lines between free speech.
In 2017, platforms like Twitter, now X, previously blocked an administrative subpoena to disclose the information on an account that was critical of President Donald Trump.
It was eventually withdrawn.
One thing is certain here, tech giants will either protect the freedoms of the American people, as seen before in some instances, or cater to the needs of the government, even if it means violating freedom of speach.
But I’m curious to know what you think.
Are more signals of authoritarianism showing in the Trump Administration through the latest immigration subpoenas, or is it crucial for the U.S. government to know who is criticizing their agenda?
You let me know.
Google is changing how it surfaces content. Prioritize our high-quality news and industry-leading coverage in search results by setting FrankNez Media as a preferred source.
