Pam Bondi and ICE Barbie Sued Over Pressuring Apple to Yank ICE Goon Tracker App
The lawsuit says the Trump administration officials leaned on Apple to remove ICEBlock from its App Store, violating the First Amendment.
Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
The developer of an ICE tracking app is suing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, alleging they leaned on Apple to yank it from the App Store.
ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron’s complaint accuses government officials of coercing the tech giant into removing the application—a crowdsourcing tool that alerts users to Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents nearby—in violation of Aaron’s free-speech rights.
The lawsuit, which was filed in D.C. federal court on Monday cites Bondi, 60, Noem, 54, Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, and White House border czar Tom Homan.
CNN tech reporter Clare Duffy interviewed Joshua Aaron, creator of ICEBlock, about his intentions behind the app.
CNN
Aaron told independent journalist Allison Gill’s Daily Beans podcast that Apple cited “objectionable content” after “information from law enforcement” arrived: “On October 2nd, I received a message from Apple that said, we received information from law enforcement that your app is targeting law enforcement officers.”
Bondi has publicly boasted about pushing Apple to act. Both she and Noem claimed it put ICE officers at risk. “We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store—and Apple did so,” she said in October.
Suggesting government influence encouraged Apple to take the matter more seriously than they otherwise might, Aaron added: “It was like five weeks of back and forth... I had never… seen that rigorous [a] process before.”
Pam Bondi (L) and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem—nicknamed ICE Barbie for her love of cosplaying on immigration raids—are both named in the suit.
Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images
The filing relies on Supreme Court precedent limiting government pressure on private firms to punish disfavored speech and seeks an injunction barring further threats against app stores that carry ICEBlock or similar tools.
Sign Up for The Swamp Newsletter
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Aaron and his counsel argue Apple still hosts apps that crowdsource police presence—features available in Apple Maps and Waze—undercutting any claim that ICEBlock uniquely endangers officers. He told Gill: “It’s literally their own software that’s doing exactly the same thing that ICE Block was doing.”
Digital rights group EFF has demanded answers about “coercion and censorship of protected speech.”
The move follows a report in July by the Daily Beast that Bondi’s DOJ fired Aaron’s wife after a MAGA pile-on over the app drew attention to her job.
When contacted for comment by the Daily Beast, the Department of Justice declined, while DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said: “ICE tracking apps put the lives of the men and women of law enforcement in danger as they go after terrorists, vicious gangs and violent criminal rings.”
“The media spins this correct decision for Apple to remove these apps as them caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed and stopping law enforcement from getting killed,” McLaughlin added.
See more of our coverage in your search results.
Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…