Apple breaks silence over decision to remove ICE tracking app from App Store
Apple has defended its somewhat controversial decision to remove a United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracking app from the App Store, with complaints from the U.S. Department of Justice that the general public could be interfering with its operating capabilities.
Since returning to the White House for his second term, President Donald Trump has tried to clamp down on immigration, issuing a number of controversial executive orders and continuing his campaign against the Mexican border.
There's been significant backlash, with the likes of Hasan "HasanAbi" Piker attending an anti-ICE rally and violence escalating during the June 2025 Los Angeles riots. Before departing his role as Apple CEO, Tim Cook called for a 'de-escalation' of the ICE situation following the fatal shooting of 37-year-old ICU nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, but still, the tech giant has faced flak from both sides over a popular app called ICEBlock.
Why was ICEBlock removed from the Apple App Store?
In October 2025, Apple informed ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron that his app didn't comply with guidelines surrounding "objectionable" and "defamatory, discriminatory, or mean-spirited content."
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This came as the Department of Justice and the likes of former Attorney General Pam Bondi called for action.
In June 2025, acting ICE director Todd Lyons said: "An app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them."
A September 2025 shooting involving Joshua Jahn is said to have occurred after the 29-year-old searched apps to track ICE agents.
Jump forward to September 2026, and Apple has explained its decision to remove IceBlock, with CNN revealing a July letter sent to Rep. Jamie Raskin. The Maryland Democrat is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, who leaunched an investigation into the DOJ's role in having apps removed from the Apple and Google app stores, focusing on a potential impact on constitutionally protected speech. The letter has become relevant due to the fact that it hasn't previously been reported.
Sending his own letter to Apple’s senior director of government affairs, Timothy Powderly, Raskin suggests that Apple could be "working with the government to violate its customers’ First Amendment rights to record and report on the activities of their own government."
Apple's letter admits that ICEBlock was approved for the App Store in April 2025 after Aaron addressed "certain user privacy concerns" that were highlighted in an early review process. Apple was then 'attentive' to backlash in the following months before ICEBlock was eventually pulled.
The letter was signed by Powderly, adding that Apple “does not take decisions about removing apps from the App Store lightly, but acts when it must — especially when there are serious concerns that an app is creating safety risks."
Raskin stands by the idea that there's no evidence that apps like ICEBlock were to blame for the Dallas shooting that cost Jahn and two detainees their lives, also calling for Apple to conduct its own independent review into whether the app violates its policies.
Department of Homeland Security defends ICEBlock removal
Users and creators of ICEBlock and similar apps maintain they're used to avoid coming into contact with ICE agents, while Aaron ultimately sued the Trump administration amid claims the government abused its power and his free speech was infringed upon.
Bondi and other officials have moved to dismiss Aronn's case, saying they weren't directly responsible for ICEBlock's removal from app stores.
As things rumble on, the Department of Homeland Security has doubled down on its claims that tracking apps endanger ICE agents. In a statement released on September 28, 2026, a DHS spokesperson stated: "Our law officers are facing an over 1,600% increase in assaults, a 3,300% increase in vehicle attacks, and an 8,000% increase in death threats.
"Further, these apps are a method to interfere with law enforcement activities and harbor illegal aliens."
As part of his request for an investigation, Raskin wants Apple to send over a full list of apps that were removed over concerns about tracking ICE agents, concluding: "Monitoring the actions of federal immigration authorities who have been deployed to (users’) neighborhoods...is a core First Amendment right and not a crime."