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wired.comICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 YearsHomeland Security Investigations agents hit the outdoor retailer with a controversial subpoena as part of a dragnet search for the identities of protesters who entered a Minnesota church in March.

The filings are part of a broader lawsuit by the federal government against 39 people who attended an ICE protest at a church. Both protesters and journalists who were at the event, including former CNN host Don Lemon, are now defendants.

wired.comICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 YearsHomeland Security Investigations agents hit the outdoor retailer with a controversial subpoena as part of a dragnet search for the identities of protesters who entered a Minnesota church in March.

The DHS subpoenaed the outdoor retailer in March, requesting the transaction information for “all persons” in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul area who had purchased a specific type of dark green beanie from the company since 2024, the filings allege.

wired.comICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 YearsHomeland Security Investigations agents hit the outdoor retailer with a controversial subpoena as part of a dragnet search for the identities of protesters who entered a Minnesota church in March.

REI did not respond to questions about whether it had complied with the request and, if so, how many people are affected. But the subpoena was one of 92 sent as part of the investigation into the defendants, according to the court filings.

wired.comICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 YearsHomeland Security Investigations agents hit the outdoor retailer with a controversial subpoena as part of a dragnet search for the identities of protesters who entered a Minnesota church in March.

The total number of 1509 summonses that have been sent since the start of the Trump administration—and which companies have complied with them—is unknown. Companies are typically asked to keep the summonses a secret.

wired.comICE Wants to Know Everyone Who Bought a Certain Green Beanie From REI in the Last 2 YearsHomeland Security Investigations agents hit the outdoor retailer with a controversial subpoena as part of a dragnet search for the identities of protesters who entered a Minnesota church in March.

According to Senator Ron Wyden and Representative Pramila Jayapal, big tech companies will sometimes ignore the government's request for silence when not legally required, but other companies have complied because of fear of regulatory retaliation.