Trump Administration Sued By Iceblock App That Helped Track Immigration Raids-Here's Why

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Joshua Aaron, the maker of an iPhone app that tracked raids by US immigration agents, filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, claiming violations of free speech and alleging that US Attorney General Pam Bondi used her“state power” to compel Apple to take down the app, according to AP.

Apple removed ICEBlock and other similar apps from its App Store in October after Bondi argued they endangered Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers by allowing people to monitor ICE activity in their neighbourhoods.

What does the lawsuit say?

The lawsuit claims that the government's actions infringed on the First Amendment.

It also requests that a federal judge shield the Texas-based software developer from prosecution, alleging“unlawful threats made by Attorney General Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons, and White House Border Czar Tom Homan to criminally investigate and prosecute Aaron for his role in developing ICEBlock.”

The Department of Justice did not immediately reply to AP's request for comment.

ICEBlock was the most widely used ICE-tracking app on Apple's app store until Bondi stated in October that her office had contacted Apple,“demanding that they remove ICEBlock", asserting that it“is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”

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Apple abided by the request soon after, sending Aaron an email stating it would prevent further downloads of the app because new information“provided to Apple by law enforcement” indicated the app violated the app store rules.

As per the email, which Aaron shared with AP in October, Apple mentioned the app flouted the company's policies“because its purpose is to provide location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group".

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The Trump administration slammed ICEBlock and other apps that challenged its immigration policies. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem stated that the app obstructed justice, while White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said it encouraged violence against law enforcement, a report by The New York Times noted.

Meanwhile, the report added that the removal of ICEBlock coincided with tech companies taking down other immigration-focused apps and services. Apple pulled an app called DeICER, which allowed users to report immigration actions, it said, further mentioning Google removed a similar app named Red Dot, and dditionally, Meta, the parent company of Facebook, took down the Facebook group ICE Sighting-Chicagoland for violating its policies“against coordinated harm".

Key Takeaways

• Apple removed ICEBlock and other similar apps from its App Store in October after Bondi argued they endangered ICE officers by allowing people to monitor ICE activity in their neighbourhoods.
• ICEBlock was the most widely used ICE-tracking app on Apple's app store until Bondi stated in October that her office had contacted Apple,“demanding that they remove ICEBlock",
• The Trump administration reportedly condemned ICEBlock and other apps that challenged its immigration policies.

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