Apple has removed apps designed to track and expose Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, following revelations that one such tool was used by the anti-ICE gunman who opened fire on a Dallas facility last month. The attack left two detainees dead and a third wounded.
Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department pressed Apple directly to take action. “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Bondi confirmed. “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. This Department of Justice will continue making every effort to protect our brave federal law enforcement officers.”
ICE leaders have long warned that these apps serve as a roadmap for criminals. Marcos Charles, Acting Executive Associate Director of Enforcement and Removal Operations, said they amount to a “casting call” for violent actors. “It’s no different than giving the hit man the location of their intended target, and this is exactly what we saw happen in Dallas,” he told reporters.
Apple confirmed it had pulled ICEBlock and “similar apps” from its platform. “We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps. Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it,” the company said in a statement.
ICEBlock’s creator Joshua Aaron blasted the decision as corporate capitulation. “Capitulating to an authoritarian regime is never the right move,” he argued. “Apple has claimed they received information from law enforcement that ICEBlock served to harm law enforcement officers. This is patently false.” The app continues to function for users who downloaded it prior to its removal.
ICE first raised alarms in June after CNN promoted ICEBlock on air. “CNN’s promotion of an ‘ICE spotting’ app is reckless and irresponsible,” Acting Director Todd Lyons said at the time. “Advertising an app that paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening.”
White House Border Czar Tom Homan echoed that view, warning the consequences were inevitable. “It’s only a matter of time before ICE officers are going to be ambushed by some nut, like what happened in L.A., throwing a Molotov cocktail, throwing bricks at these officers,” Homan said. “This is just disgusting at every level, so I hope DOJ dives in deeply, because ICE is concentrating on public safety threats and national security threats.”
The post Apple Pulls ICE Tracking Apps Amid Widespread Attacks On Immigration Agents appeared first on Real News Now.
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