In this photo illustration, the ICEBlock app is displayed on an Apple iPhone on October 2, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Justin Sullivan | Getty Images
The developer of ICEBlock, an app used to track field sightings of ICE officers and other law enforcement agencies, sued the U.S. government on Monday, accusing it of violating free speech rights.
rear apple The app was removed from the store in October, but its creator, Joshua Aaron, criticized the Trump administration for pressuring iPhone makers to ban ICEBlock, saying it could be used to harm U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
Aaron’s lawyers wrote in their complaint that when U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said the Justice Department required Apple to remove the app, which was only available on iOS, she made it clear that the government was “using its regulatory powers to force private platforms to suppress speech protected by the First Amendment.”
The complaint alleged that Apple cited one of its review guidelines that says apps cannot allow offensive content that could be used to harm targeted groups. According to the complaint, Apple said ICEBlock targets law enforcement officers.
Aaron told CNBC on Monday that his appeal was inspired by the American Founding Fathers’ view that “the survival of a democratic republic is not guaranteed.”
“It is necessary for the public to remain vigilant and actively participate based on information,” Aaron said. “When we see or think our government is doing something wrong, it’s our duty to hold them accountable, and that’s the heart of this case.”
Aaron said attorneys from the New York law firm Sher Tremonte are representing him pro bono.
This isn’t the first time Apple has made a move like this.
In 2019, the company removed an app used by Hong Kong protesters to track police movements during a public dispute over Hong Kong’s relationship with China. Apple said at the time that it removed the app because criminals had used it to target and ambush police.
Aaron had been developing an Android version of the app, but was unable to release it. After Apple moves to remove ICE Block, Google’s parent company alphabet He said they also agreed to ban apps that help people track the whereabouts of law enforcement from app stores.
Representatives for Apple and Google did not respond to requests for comment. The Justice Department also had no immediate comment.
Aaron launched ICEBlock in April in response to the Trump administration’s aggressive crackdown on immigration. “More than a third of the approximately 220,000 people arrested by ICE agents during the first nine months of the Trump administration had no criminal record,” according to new data obtained by the University of California, Berkeley through the school’s Deportation Data Project. According to Gallup polling data released on November 28, only 37% of American voters approve of the way President Trump is handling immigration.
Read the full complaint here:
