A self-described nerd who created an app that tracks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity identifies as “proud Antifa” and once encouraged everyone to be like the violent group, past social media postings show.
ICEBlock is a crowdsourced app that alerts users when federal immigration authorities are spotted within a five-mile radius, according to CNN. Anyone on the app can ping others nearby if they see ICE agents and list other identifying details, such as what the officers are wearing and what car they’re driving, ostensibly allowing illegal migrants nearby to avoid apprehension.
“We’re literally watching history repeat itself,” Joshua Aaron, the creator of the app, said to CNN as he compared federal immigration enforcement to Nazi Germany. “And so I thought, ‘what if there’s an early warning system?’ And that’s what became ICEBlock.”
Most of ICEBlock’s 20,000 users are primarily based in Los Angeles, according to CNN, which was rocked by anti-ICE riots in June. Aaron shared a post Monday claiming it’s now the number one app in social networking on the Apple App Store.
In a public statement issued Monday, ICE acting director Todd Lyons condemned CNN for promoting ICEBlock, claiming the app “basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs” at a time when his agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults.
“This is an app that is publicly available to any iPhone user who wants to download it. There is nothing illegal about reporting the existence of this or any other app, nor does such reporting constitute promotion or other endorsement of the app by CNN,” a CNN spokesperson stated Tuesday to the Daily Caller News Foundation.
ICEBlock did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. The DCNF was unable to locate a personal contact for Aaron.
Aaron identifies himself as a supporter of BLM, also known as Black Lives Matter — a movement long plagued with allegations of financial mismanagement — and “Proud #Antifa” on his Bluesky account, a social media website modeled after X that American liberals populate. He also identifies as a “tech nerd.”
An examination of other social media activity indicates he has been a fan of the violent, far-left movement for years.
As a widespread and decentralized movement, Antifa members have no hierarchical structure, but many individuals who identify as Antifa espouse socialist and communist ideals and have even advocated for the violent overthrow of the U.S. government and capitalism. President Donald Trump declared in May 2020 that he would designate Antifa as a terrorist organization in the wake of the George Floyd riots, but no official designation was ever given.
In January 2021, then-Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler acknowledged the “criminal destruction and violence” caused by Antifa amid ongoing riots at the time. Numerous businesses including the Portland Wine Company, a local Chase Bank, several jewelry stores and coffee shops, were damaged in the city while it was under siege by rioters and other Antifa actors, resulting in millions of dollars in damages.
Andy Ngo, an author who has regularly covered Antifa’s activities, was left severely injured and hospitalized in June 2019 after he was attacked while covering an Antifa rally in Portland.
“Once again we should all be #antifa. Why on earth would you support fascism?” Aaron posted on X in April 2023.
“Ken Buck (R CO) explaining how horrible #AntifaTerrorists are & what they’re doing to our cities,” he posted in July 2020. “THIS IS A LIE! Antifa isn’t an organization, it’s a belief. How is everyone not Anti-Fascist??? If you’re not antifa, you’re a fascist.”
Democrats have long parroted the claim that Antifa isn’t an actual group — including President Joe Biden. During a 2020 presidential debate, Biden claimed Antifa to be “an idea, not an organization.” This statement was derided by members of the law enforcement community, who noted that the victims of Antifa violence were not attacked by an idea.
In another X post, Aaron appeared to suggest that supporting Antifa was akin to supporting democracy altogether.
“To those against #antifa ask yourself why? Being against #Fascism is the cornerstone of democracy. AntiFa is not an organized movement, it is the idea that, by any means necessary, #WeThePeople shall #RiseUp against fascism and tyranny,” he posted in June 2020. “As a reminder, those things are bad.”
In a more recent Bluesky post in May, he appeared to call for Antifa to “wage an assault” on the nation.
Beyond advocating for the Antifa brand, Aaron has been an outspoken critic of the Trump administration and its supporters, as evidenced by a profanity-laced selfie video he posted on Nov. 7, 2020.
“There’s nothing good to say about [Trump] and I don’t give a fuck about anybody who voted for Trump,” Aaron said on X. “You have hate in your heart, you’re a fucking bigot, you’re a fucking racist, you supported kids in cages and you supported hatred.”
“So fuck you and fuck anybody in this country who voted for asshole,” he concluded.
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