DOJ may face investigation for pressuring Apple, Google to remove apps for tracking ICE agents
Summary
House Judiciary Committee member Jamie Raskin has urged the DOJ to disclose communications with Apple and Google regarding the removal of apps tracking ICE sightings. He criticizes this as a censorship effort to silence critics of the Trump administration's immigration policies.
Key Insights
What are ICE-tracking apps and what do they do?
ICE-tracking apps like ICEBlock are crowdsourced platforms that allow users to anonymously report and monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer activity in real time. ICEBlock, described as "WAZE but for ICE sightings," enabled users to geolocate ICE agents, submit reports about their locations, and compile historical records of enforcement activities. Some apps, like Eyes Up, also aggregated videos and social media content documenting immigration enforcement conduct rather than providing real-time location data.
How did the DOJ pressure Apple and Google to remove these apps, and did it violate the First Amendment?
In October 2025, Attorney General Pam Bondi directly contacted Apple and Google, demanding they remove ICEBlock and similar apps, claiming the apps endangered ICE agents. Significantly, the federal government did not use the judicial system to compel removal; instead, the companies voluntarily removed the apps, which allowed the removals to appear as independent business decisions rather than government censorship. Critics, including House Judiciary Committee member Jamie Raskin, argue this approach constitutes "coercion and censorship" that violates the First Amendment by silencing critics of the Trump administration's immigration policies, since the apps served as accountability tools documenting government enforcement activities.