The developer of ICEBlock, the most popular app used to share information about sightings of federal immigration agents, sued the Trump administration on Monday after Apple removed the app from its online store.
The lawsuit was filed in federal court by Joshua Aaron, the developer of ICEBlock, and alleges free speech violations. The app had over 1 million users before it was removed by Apple in October following pressure from the Trump administration.
It is a rare instance of a tech company removing an app based on a complaint from the United States federal government.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have regularly raided businesses and other places to arrest migrants as part of US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown. Agents have even detained migrants following immigration court hearings
People who oppose Trump’s immigration agenda or who say they want to keep immigrants and others safe have used apps and other means to track and document ICE activities and warn people who might be at risk of being detained.
Aaron said he thinks the Trump administration is not just attacking his free speech rights, but those of all citizens when it goes after apps like ICEBlock. He said he hoped his lawsuit would help stop the administration “from eroding the Constitution”.
“When we see our government doing something wrong, it’s our duty as citizens of this nation to hold them accountable, and that is exactly what we’re doing with this lawsuit,” Aaron said.
Tricia McLaughlin, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, said that assaults and death threats against federal immigration agents have spiked since it increased operations to arrest and deport those who are illegally in the US.
The Justice Department and the White House did not respond to requests for comment on Aaron’s suit. Apple, which is not named as a defendant, also did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
When it removed the app from its store, Apple said it took action based on information from law enforcement about safety risks. The Justice Department confirmed that it had contacted Apple to pull the app, and Bondi said in a statement at the time that ICEBlock was designed to put ICE agents at risk, which the developer strongly disputes.
The app, which is still functioning for people who downloaded it before its removal from app stores, allows users to report publicly observable activity of federal immigration agents and their locations.
Aaron, in his lawsuit, argues that the function is similar to that of mapping apps like Waze and others, which allow users to report the locations of police.
The lawsuit says Aaron submitted the app to Apple for approval and that it had been available through the company’s app store since April of this year before being removed.
Legal experts have said that surveillance of immigration agents is largely protected under the US Constitution, as long as people do not interfere with the agents’ work or encourage others to do so. Courts have long held that recording law enforcement activities in public areas is legal.
