Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) has accused Apple of working with the Trump administration to remove ICE-tracking apps such as ICEBlock from the App Store, according to a letter reported by CNN. Raskin says Apple has provided no evidence that the apps endangered officers, and that the company instead cited a Dallas ICE shooting with no proven link to the apps to justify what he calls censorship of Americans' First Amendment right to record government activity.
Apple's July response to Raskin, signed by senior director of government affairs Timothy Powderly, said the apps were removed after a fatal shooting at a Dallas ICE office and after agency reports of a "significant increase in ICE activity and threats against ICE." The company argued that sharing precise location information about ICE officers could create a "roadmap for targeted violence." Raskin countered that the shooter did not need a tracking app to find a fixed government building, and that there is "no evidence" he used such an app.
Raskin has asked Apple to provide a full list of apps removed following Justice Department concerns so an independent review can determine whether removals were constitutionally justified. The Trump administration maintains that Apple acted independently, but former Attorney General Pam Bondi publicly boasted that she made the "demand" and "Apple did so." ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron is suing the administration for censorship, and a recent court ruling recognized a First Amendment right to record law enforcement in public, which could affect the case if it proceeds to discovery.