IceBlock: Thousands flock to app that tracks US immigration agents after White House backlash

Published on 04/07/2025 - 12:00 GMT+2

A caller app that allows users to anonymously stock nan locations of migration agents successful nan United States is gaining fame – and backlash from nan Trump administration.

Called IceBlock, nan free app allows users to stock sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, who analyse and apprehension group suspected of entering nan US illegally.

It launched successful April and roseate to nan apical of Apple’s US App Store this week. 

App users tin study and position sightings of ICE officials wrong a five-mile radius. IceBlock says it does not shop immoderate individual data, truthful it is “impossible to trace reports backmost to individual users”.

The number of detentions by ICE has accrued dramatically since President Donald Trump took office. In May, nan White House demanded that ICE apprehension 3,000 group per day.

At slightest 56,000 immigrants are being held successful ICE detention, and half of them do not person criminal convictions, according to nan Deportation Data Project, a group that collects migration numbers. Several group person died successful ICE detention.

ICEBlock’s shaper Joshua Aaron, who has worked successful nan tech manufacture for 2 decades, told NBC this week: “When I saw what was happening successful this country, I really conscionable wanted to do thing to thief conflict back”.

“I grew up successful a Jewish household, and being portion of nan Jewish community, I had nan chance to meet Holocaust survivors and study nan history of what happened successful Nazi Germany, and nan parallels that we tin tie betwixt what’s happening correct now successful our state and Hitler’s emergence to powerfulness are undeniable,” he added.

The Trump management raised concerns earlier this week astir nan app’s imaginable to beryllium utilized to target migration agents. 

White House property caput Karoline Leavitt and ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons said connected Tuesday they were worried astir ICE agents’ safety, citing a caller “500 per cent summation successful assaults” against agents carrying retired migration enforcement activities.

The management besides deed backmost astatine CNN for reporting connected nan app.

“What they’re doing is actively encouraging group to debar rule enforcement activities and operations,” said Kristi Noem, caput of nan US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE.

Noem said she will activity pinch nan US Department of Justice to spot if nan Trump management tin “prosecute” CNN.

Aaron described nan threat arsenic “another right-wing fear-mongering scare tactic”. 

Meanwhile, DHS has built a nationalist citizenship database that uses accusation from migration agencies and nan Social Security Administration, NPR reported past week.

It was designed for predetermination officials to guarantee that only citizens are voting, but NPR reported that an predetermination master raised concerns astir what other it could beryllium utilized for.