tl;dr: DHS is using 19 USC 1509—a customs summons statute meant for import/duty investigations—to demand records from Google, T-Mobile, Meta, and others without judicial oversight, targeting journalists (including Georgia Fort and Don Lemon), unions (SEIU, CWA), and non-profits (Sunrise Movement) with no apparent customs nexus. Critics, including former DHS officials, call it a deliberate end-run around the Fourth Amendment, and DHS has repeatedly withdrawn summonses when challenged in court to avoid an adverse ruling that would curtail the tactic.