Apple removed ICEBlock and several similar immigration enforcement tracking apps from its App Store following pressure from the Department of Justice, according to reports late Thursday. The decision came after Attorney General Pam Bondi directly contacted Apple demanding the removal of ICEBlock.
It’s a crowdsourced app that allows users to anonymously report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents within a five-mile radius. The app had been downloaded over 1 million times since launching in April 2025.
Apple removes ICE tracking apps from App Store following DOJ pressure
Apple stated it removed the apps, including ICEBlock, based on safety information received from law enforcement. The company emphasized its commitment to maintaining the App Store as “a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” though it did not specify which other apps it removed along with ICEBlock, according to Fox Business, the first to report on the situation.
“We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so,” Bondi said in a statement to Fox.
The controversy intensified following a deadly September shooting at an ICE field office in Dallas, where authorities say the gunman, Joshua Jahn, searched for ICE tracking apps including ICEBlock before the attack. The incident resulted in two detainee deaths and left another critically injured. According to officials, Jahn intended to target ICE personnel rather than immigrants. And investigators found a bullet marked “ANTI-ICE” at the scene.
ICE officials report that assaults on their officers have increased dramatically. Some cite increases of 500% to over 1000% in recent months.
Developer vows to fight back
Joshua Aaron, ICEBlock’s creator, strongly criticized Apple’s decision. He called it “capitulating to an authoritarian regime.” He rejected claims that his app endangered law enforcement officers, comparing ICEBlock’s crowdsourced location reporting to similar features in navigation apps like Waze and Apple’s own Maps service that alert users to speed traps and police presence.
“Apple has claimed they received information from law enforcement that ICEBlock served to harm law enforcement officers. This is patently false,” Aaron said, adding that his mission has been “to protect our neighbors from the terror this administration continues to reign down on the people of this nation.”
Mounting legal threats
The Trump administration has issued multiple threats regarding ICEBlock. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem previously said the DOJ was investigating whether CNN could be prosecuted for reporting on the app’s existence, while Attorney General Bondi warned Aaron to “watch out.”
Aaron has defended the app as protected free speech, arguing in media appearances that there is nothing illegal about creating or using such a service. The app gained particular prominence after a White House press briefing and CNN coverage in late June, briefly becoming the top social networking app in the App Store.
ICEBlock is no longer available for download. Apple recommended its App Store as the only safe source for the application, leaving existing users without official update channels.
