US Lawmakers Slam DHS for Using Customs Authority to Silences Critics on Social Media, Citing Abuse of Power.
In a scathing letter, US Senator Ron Wyden has condemned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for allegedly abusing its authority to unmask social media users monitoring immigration agents. The allegations come in response to recent efforts by the Trump administration to force Meta Platforms – parent company of Facebook and Instagram – to disclose the identity of a community watch group tracking immigration authorities in Pennsylvania.
This case highlights what Wyden describes as "manifestly improper use" of customs law by DHS, which he claims is intended to suppress First Amendment-protected speech. The Democratic senator has asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to halt the practice and ensure compliance with statutory limits on the use of 19 U.S.C. §1509.
Wyden's concerns echo a previous incident in 2017 when CBP invoked its authority to unmask the operator of a Twitter account critical of President Donald Trump without explanation. The move was met with public outcry, scrutiny from Wyden, and ultimately led to an internal investigation by DHS' Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG report concluded that CBP's summons to Twitter exceeded its authority.
The recent controversy surrounding Meta Platforms highlights a broader trend of federal authorities attempting to silence critics on social media. This includes a previous attempt to unmask another Instagram account sharing imagery of ICE agents in public. The summons invoked law related to the "privilege" of entering or reentering the US, even though it was issued under the guise of officer safety.
In response to Wyden's letter, DHS officials have yet to comment on the matter.
In a scathing letter, US Senator Ron Wyden has condemned the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for allegedly abusing its authority to unmask social media users monitoring immigration agents. The allegations come in response to recent efforts by the Trump administration to force Meta Platforms – parent company of Facebook and Instagram – to disclose the identity of a community watch group tracking immigration authorities in Pennsylvania.
This case highlights what Wyden describes as "manifestly improper use" of customs law by DHS, which he claims is intended to suppress First Amendment-protected speech. The Democratic senator has asked DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to halt the practice and ensure compliance with statutory limits on the use of 19 U.S.C. §1509.
Wyden's concerns echo a previous incident in 2017 when CBP invoked its authority to unmask the operator of a Twitter account critical of President Donald Trump without explanation. The move was met with public outcry, scrutiny from Wyden, and ultimately led to an internal investigation by DHS' Office of Inspector General (OIG). The OIG report concluded that CBP's summons to Twitter exceeded its authority.
The recent controversy surrounding Meta Platforms highlights a broader trend of federal authorities attempting to silence critics on social media. This includes a previous attempt to unmask another Instagram account sharing imagery of ICE agents in public. The summons invoked law related to the "privilege" of entering or reentering the US, even though it was issued under the guise of officer safety.
In response to Wyden's letter, DHS officials have yet to comment on the matter.
The gov't is at it again trying to silence critics on social media! It's like, they think we're all just going to sit there and take it? 
I mean, who needs freedom of speech when you've got a fancy law to back it up, right? 
But seriously, this is huge. The fact that DHS is using customs authority to monitor social media users is like, totally over the line. It's basically censorship, plain and simple. 
And what's next? Will they be asking Meta to track down every single person who's ever tweeted something controversial? 
The thought alone gives me chills. We need more people like Senator Wyden speaking out against this kind of abuse of power. 
So like, the government is trying to control what people say online? It's crazy! I mean, think about it, if they can just unmask someone and silence them, that's basically censorship, right? 
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. We need to speak up and hold them accountable for this stuff.
. He's like, doing his job as a senator and speaking truth to power. And I think we should all be supporting him in this fight 
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. I mean, have you tried this new coffee place downtown? The barista was so cool and it really brings out the flavors in the coffee. I swear, it's like a whole different world in there! Anyway, back to the news... this DHS thing sounds super sketchy. Like, who needs to unmask people just to silence critics? It's crazy what these politicians are up to 
from wut i read, its like dey just wanna stifle peoples freedom of speech and expression but thats not how america works man we gotta stand up 4 our rights and let ppl express demselves no matter wot 
. I mean, think about it, if they can just unmask anyone who's saying something critical on social media, that's basically an end-run around free speech. It's like, we need people to speak truth to power, but now the government is trying to silence them 
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. We need our lawmakers like Ron Wyden who are standing up against this kind of thing and saying "nope, that's not okay" 
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. Otherwise, we'll just end up with a bunch of unelected bureaucrats deciding what's "safe" for us to say online 
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. wyden's right to slam them hard tho - 19 u.s.c. §1509 is clear, they're clearly abusing their power. hope something changes soon, or we'll be living in a total surveillance state 
This is getting outta hand!!! 
DHS is already super sketchy but now they're trying to use customs law 2 stifle free speech on social media?!?! That's just not cool, especially when it comes 2 critiquing immigration policies. We need 2 stand up 4 what's right & demand that our reps are held accountable 4 their actions