The U.S.Department of Justice has reportedly issued grand jury subpoenas to Reddit and X (formerly Twitter) as part of criminal investigations aimed at identifying anonymous users who criticized federal immigration enforcement policies.According to reporting cited by Bloomberg, the subpoenas were issued by the U.S.

Attorney’s Office for Washington under Jeanine Pirro and seek identifying information such as names, addresses, and potentially financial data linked to at least two users.

The investigations appear to focus on posts that were critical of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), including comments that defense attorneys describe as relatively minor or sarcastic, rather than explicitly threatening.

One post reportedly contained only a short expression of hostility toward ICE, while another included a sarcastic remark that referenced an address already publicly available on social media.

Attorneys representing the targeted users argue that there is no evidence of criminal intent and that the government has not clearly identified what alleged crimes are being investigated.They also contend that the effort is effectively an attempt to unmask and intimidate individuals exercising protected free speech rights.

The legal process reportedly began with administrative summonses, which do not require judicial approval, but those were withdrawn after legal challenges.

The Justice Department then escalated the matter to grand jury subpoenas, which carry greater legal weight and are significantly more difficult to challenge in court.

Civil liberties advocates warn that the case raises serious First Amendment concerns, particularly regarding anonymous speech and political criticism of government policy.Lawyers for the affected users have filed motions to quash the subpoenas, and the matter is currently pending before a federal judge.

Reddit has stated that it defends user anonymity and routinely challenges overly broad government requests that may infringe on civil rights, while the outcome of the case could have broader implications for online speech protections in the United States.