ICEBlock

ICEBlock
Developer(s)	Joshua Aaron
Initial release	April 2025 (2025-04)
Platform	iOS
Available in	14 languages
List of languages English, Arabic, Armenian, Hindi, Korean, Nepali, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Slovenian, Spanish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese
Type	Online map
License	Proprietary software
Website	www.iceblock.app

ICEBlock is an online map service of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents developed by Joshua Aaron.

History

Main article: Deportation in the second presidency of Donald Trump

In April 2025, in response to Donald Trump's second term and his immigration policy, Joshua Aaron began developing ICEBlock. The app garnered attention amid protests in Los Angeles in June; by that month, Aaron claimed that the app had twenty thousand users, primarily in Los Angeles. After receiving media attention from Trump officials following a CNN report on the app, ICEBlock became the third-most downloaded free app in the App Store and the most downloaded free social networking app. Aaron told NBC News that ICEBlock had approximately 95,200 users by the beginning of July.

Features and functionality

ICEBlock allows users to report the location of United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and provide optional details about the officials. Reported sightings are visible within a five-mile radius but disappear after four hours. After a sighting is reported, those in a nearby radius are notified. ICEBlock does not collect personal data; consequently, it is only available on iOS. The app is available in fourteen languages, including Arabic, Nepali, Spanish, Hindi, and Vietnamese.

Responses

In June 2025, CNN reported on ICEBlock. In response, secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem stated that she was in communication with the Department of Justice to investigate the possibility of prosecuting CNN over its article. Tom Homan, the executive associate director of enforcement and removal operations, and Todd Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, broadly criticized CNN for reporting on the app. Attorney general Pam Bondi warned Aaron of the app and alleged that it could cause federal agents to be injured. ICEBlock warns users against using the app for "inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement". According to Aaron, ICEBlock's legality has been attested to by several lawyers. Aaron's full legal name and home address were published by right-wing figures on X over the app.

Works cited

• Duffy, Clare (June 30, 2025). "'I wanted to do something to fight back': This iPhone app alerts users to nearby ICE sightings". CNN. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Forlini, Emily (July 1, 2025). "What Is the ICEBlock App? Attorney General Tells Its Creator to 'Watch Out'". PCMag. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Grynbaum, Michael (July 1, 2025). "Kristi Noem raises prospect of prosecuting CNN over ICE app story". The New York Times. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Jiménez, Marisol (July 1, 2025). "ICEBlock: The app that alerts users about immigration raids". El País. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Mastrangelo, Dominick (July 1, 2025). "Homan: DOJ needs to 'look' at CNN's ICE reporting". The Hill. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Moon, Mariella (July 1, 2025). "ICEBlock climbs to the top of the App Store charts after officials slam it". Engadget. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Pahwa, Nitish (May 16, 2025). "Immigration Crackdowns Are Booming. So Is the Digital Resistance Fighting Them". Slate. Retrieved July 1, 2025.
• Rosenblatt, Kalhan (July 2, 2025). "App that allows people to share ICE sightings gets boost in downloads after White House backlash". NBC News. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
• Roth, Emma (July 2, 2025). "ICE-tracking app tops App Store". The Verge. Retrieved July 2, 2025.
• Sutherland, Callum (June 30, 2025). "ICEBlock, an iPhone App Intended to Alert Users of Nearby ICE Sightings, Comes Under Fire". Time. Retrieved July 1, 2025.

External links

• Official website