Apple Removes ICE Tracking App ICEBlock Following calls for Action
Apple has removed the ICEBlock app from its App Store after pressure from officials connected to the Trump governance, according to a statement from Bondi, a representative of the Department of Justice, on Thursday. Bondi stated, “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store – and Apple did so.” She further emphasized, “ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed.” Bondi affirmed the Department of justices commitment to protecting federal law enforcement officers.
The ICEBlock app,launched in April and available for free,allowed users to track the locations of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents. Its removal follows heightened concerns about the safety of law enforcement personnel.
Tom Homan, former border czar under the Trump administration, indicated that those responsible for creating and distributing the app may face investigation, stating in a Fox News interview, “They’re gonna investigate these people who put these apps up – because it puts law enforcement at great risk.”
The controversy surrounding ICEBlock escalated after White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted on X (formerly Twitter) last week that the individual who opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas on September 24 had been utilizing the app.
ICEBlock briefly rose to become the top social networking app in the App Store after Leavitt publicly condemned it during a White House press briefing on June 30. CNN reported on the app the same day, quoting its creator, joshua Aaron, who stated he developed ICEBlock in response to escalating deportation efforts under the Trump administration. aaron reportedly said, “When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,” and drew parallels between current immigration enforcement and Nazi Germany, stating, ”We’re literally watching history repeat itself.”
ICE’s acting director, Todd Lyons, released a statement on June 30, calling the app “sickening” and stating, “Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is…like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone,” noting a 500% increase in assaults on ICE officers.
Aaron, in a subsequent interview with NBC days later, dismissed the criticism as “another right-wing fearmongering scare tactic,” asserting the app was designed to assist individuals fearful of deportation. He cited his Jewish upbringing and encounters with Holocaust survivors as informing his perspective, stating, “the parallels that we can draw between what’s happening right now in our country and Hitler’s rise to power are undeniable.”
CNBC has reached out to Joshua Aaron for comment.
