ICE Withdraws Summons, Seeks Grand Jury Subpoena for Reddit User
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) withdrew a summons to Reddit for a user's information following a legal challenge but now pursues a grand jury subpoena in Washington, D.C. The user, identified as John Doe, posted criticisms of ICE on Reddit without evidence of criminal activity. The case involves questions of First Amendment protections for anonymous online speech.
medianama.comU.S. Code, which authorizes requests for records related to customs duties, taxes, or fees.
U.S. citizen with no international travel or commerce ties and uses the account mainly for local political speech. The ICE agent signing the summons stated that Section 1509 allows demands for records relevant to any laws enforced by ICE or Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
A November 2017 report from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General rejected this broad interpretation, stating that Title 19 addresses customs duties. The report followed a 2017 CBP summons to Twitter for an anonymous user's information, which CBP withdrew after Twitter's challenge on legal and First Amendment grounds.
attorneys filed a motion to quash the summons.
They noted that Doe's Reddit posts included criticism of ICE agent Jonathan Ross, who fatally shot protester Renee Good on January 7 in Minneapolis, and suggestions for anti-ICE protest slogans. The attorneys found no evidence of criminal activity in the posts, such as remarks on Ross's background or a slogan referencing a song title.
The motion argued that the summons targeted anonymous political speech protected by the First Amendment, requiring the government to show a compelling interest for identification.
ICE withdrew the summons weeks after the filing. , where proceedings typically present only the government's side.
Since the beginning of President Donald Trump's second term, federal agents have increasingly demanded that social media companies reveal the users behind anonymous accounts critical of his immigration crackdown.
Such requests often target posts identifying Border Patrol or ICE employees or sharing enforcement activity details, but also include expressions of anger at the government. The Electronic Frontier Foundation reported that the government frequently withdraws demands when challenged.
