HSI estimates 185,000 administrative subpoenas since Trump took office
Original title: DHS Has Used This Controversial Investigative Tool 185,000 Times Since Trump Took Office
The figure, from an EFF FOIA case, exceeds about 170,000 customs summonses ICE sent from 2016 to mid-2022.
Homeland Security Investigations estimates it has sent at least 185,000 administrative subpoenas since the start of the Trump administration, according to a court filing in an Electronic Frontier Foundation Freedom of Information Act lawsuit. A prior WIRED analysis found ICE issued about 170,000 customs summonses from 2016 through mid-August 2022. It is unclear whether the new total covers only demands to technology companies. Unlike court orders, these subpoenas need no judicial explanation, and DHS now argues the authority covers its broader investigative work.
Unconfirmed: It is not clear whether the 185,000 count is limited to technology companies or is much broader.
- EFF asked for counts of subpoenas to tech firms and providers since January 20, 2025.
- Examples cited include efforts to unmask critics and obtain protester-related customer records.
- ICE recently sought to compel Google and later used a grand jury subpoena with Reddit.
- Senator Ron Wyden called the use a dragnet and cited his Subpoena Abuse Prevention Act.
From the original article
3 min read at wired.com
Homeland Security Investigations estimates that it has sent out more administrative subpoenas since January 2025 than it did in more than six and a half years between 2016 and mid-August 2022.
By Maddy Varner · wired.com
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