Apple CEO Tim Prepare dinner walks to attend the State Banquet at Windsor Fortress, in Windsor, Britain, Sept. 17, 2025.
Kevin Lamarque | Reuters
Apple on Thursday evening stated that it was eradicating apps from its App Retailer that can be utilized to anonymouslyy report sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement brokers.
The transfer got here after stress on the corporate from Lawyer Basic Pam Bondi, and amid controversy over the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement of immigration legislation.
“We created the App Retailer to be a protected and trusted place to find apps,” Apple stated in a press release to NBC Information.
“Based mostly on info we have obtained from legislation enforcement in regards to the security dangers related to ICEBlock, we have now eliminated it and comparable apps from the App Retailer,” the corporate stated.
ICEBlock, which was launched on the App Retailer in April, is free.
Fox Enterprise first reported Apple’s booting of the app and different comparable apps.
Bondi, in a press release to Fox Information Digital, stated, “We reached out to Apple as we speak demanding they take away the ICEBlock app from their App Retailer — and Apple did so.”
“ICEBlock is designed to place ICE brokers in danger only for doing their jobs, and violence towards legislation enforcement is an insupportable crimson line that can’t be crossed,” Bondi stated within the assertion.
“This Division of Justice will proceed making each effort to guard our courageous federal legislation enforcement officers, who danger their lives daily to maintain Individuals protected,” she stated.
ICEBlock’s developer, Joshua Aaron, informed CNN in June that he developed the app in April after seeing the Trump administration’s deportation efforts escalate.
“After I noticed what was occurring on this nation, I wished to do one thing to combat again,” Aaron stated on the time, suggesting that the immigration enforcement efforts have been harking back to Nazi Germany.
“We’re actually watching historical past repeat itself.”
ICE’s performing director Todd Lyons on June 30 blasted the app and CNN for reporting on it.
“Promoting an app that mainly paints a goal on federal legislation enforcement officers’ backs is sickening,” Lyons stated in a press release that day. “My officers and brokers are already dealing with a 500% enhance in assaults, and happening dwell tv to announce an app that lets anybody zero in on their areas is like inviting violence towards them with a nationwide megaphone.”
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