Apple has removed several mobile applications that allowed users to anonymously track the movements of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, following pressure from the Trump administration.
The decision came amid growing use of such apps during President Donald Trump’s intensified deportation crackdown across American cities. Officials argued that the apps posed safety risks to ICE officers, especially after a deadly shooting at an ICE facility in Texas last month. Authorities allege the gunman had accessed one of the apps in the days leading to the attack, which left two detainees dead and another injured.
Attorney General Pam Bondi confirmed that the Justice Department contacted Apple demanding the removal of the most popular tracker, ICEBlock. “Apple did so,” she told Fox Business.
By late Thursday, AFP reporters confirmed that ICEBlock and similar apps were no longer available on the App Store.
In a statement to NBC News, Apple said: “Based on information we’ve received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store.”
The removal follows months of protests at ICE facilities and operations nationwide, where masked agents have been involved in rounding up thousands of migrants.
Apple has yet to issue a broader comment on the controversy.
