Apple has pulled a popular immigration enforcement tracking app from its App Store following pressure from the Trump administration.
ICEBlock, a free app for iPhones that utilized crowdsourced reports to flag sightings of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers, was removed from the App Store as of Friday, according to The Associated Press.
The developer confirmed its removal Thursday evening.
“We just received a message from Apple’s App Review that #ICEBlock has been removed from the App Store due to ‘objectionable content’,” the app’s developers posted on social media. “The only thing we can imagine is this is due to pressure from the Trump Admin. We have responded and we’ll fight this!”
The app had more than 1 million users last month, according to its developers. Though new downloads are blocked, existing users can still access it.
Apple defended its decision, saying it was based on law enforcement warnings.
“We created the App Store to be a safe and trusted place to discover apps,” Apple said in a statement. “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
Officials have previously raised concerns that apps like ICEBlock could be used to target law enforcement. Last month, investigators revealed that a gunman who opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas had searched for apps that track ICE agents.
Attorney General Pam Bondi specifically warned the app’s developer, Joshua Aaron, during a Fox News interview in July.
“We are looking at him and he better watch out because that’s not a protected speech,” Bondi said.
But immigration advocates argue that such tools are protected under the First Amendment and help vulnerable communities prepare for raids or avoid potential harassment from officials.
Supporters also point out that similar crowdsourcing apps remain available. Navigation tools like Waze and Google Maps, which allow users to flag speed traps and other police activity, have not faced the same scrutiny from U.S. officials.
Despite the takedown, downloads of apps like ICEBlock had surged amid the Trump administration’s stepped-up immigration enforcement efforts.
