The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is reportedly seeking transaction information from REI regarding customers who purchased a specific dark green beanie in the greater Minneapolis–St. Paul area since 2024. This request was made through a subpoena in March, as part of a broader lawsuit against 39 individuals who participated in a protest against ICE. REI has not disclosed whether it complied with the subpoena or how many customers are affected.
The subpoena is one of 92 issued by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in connection with the case, which also involves requests sent to social media companies, airlines, and other entities. One subpoena to an unnamed airline reportedly requested not only past flight information for a defendant but also future travel notifications.
DHS has declined to comment on the specifics of the subpoenas, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota has not provided reasons for targeting REI customers or the necessity of identifying all purchasers of the beanie, which is available on multiple platforms.
Senator Ron Wyden criticized the DHS's actions, stating that the demand for two years of customer data is excessive and not aligned with the intended use of customs summonses, which should relate to compliance with customs laws. The total number of 1509 customs summonses issued since the Trump administration began, and the extent of personal information collected, remains unclear, as companies are often required to keep such requests confidential.
Attorneys for Georgia Fort, a journalist involved in the case, expressed surprise upon discovering that the government had accessed six months of her call and text logs from T-Mobile without her knowledge. T-Mobile stated that it takes customer privacy seriously and reviews government requests carefully.
In contrast, Google reportedly refused to comply with a customs summons for information about Fort’s YouTube audience, while Reddit announced it received subpoenas regarding accounts critical of ICE but successfully objected to them. Meta also resisted at least one customs summons, according to internal DHS documents.
Experts suggest that Congress could enact laws to limit the misuse of customs summonses by DHS, but until such measures are taken, companies and their customers may face challenges regarding privacy and compliance with government requests.