The House Committee on Homeland Security is now reportedly demanding answers from Google and Apple over mobile applications that allow users to track the movements of federal immigration officers — tools lawmakers warn could endanger the lives of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Department of Homeland Security personnel.
In letters sent Friday to Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, committee leaders specifically called out ICEBlock, a controversial app previously used to monitor ICE agents in real time. Lawmakers warned that hosting such apps in mainstream app stores risks “jeopardizing the safety of DHS personnel,” and requested a full briefing from both companies by December 12.
The committee said that while Americans enjoy robust First Amendment protections, those rights “do not extend to advocacy that incites imminent lawless action,” referencing a landmark Supreme Court ruling. Apps that enable users to stalk or obstruct federal officers, they argued, clearly cross that line and undermine lawful immigration enforcement.
Neither Google nor Apple responded to Reuters’ requests for comment.
The letters come amid growing concern that these monitoring tools allow users to anonymously track federal agents, including ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers, in ways that could facilitate harassment, obstruction, or even violence. Lawmakers stressed that tech companies have a responsibility to prevent their platforms from being exploited to compromise national security or endanger frontline personnel.
According to the committee, apps like ICEBlock have been used to coordinate efforts to evade or interfere with lawful immigration operations.
With ICE and CBP already under intense political pressure and facing increasing threats in the field, lawmakers said the ability to digitally track officers’ locations poses an unacceptable risk.
Google said in October that ICEBlock was never officially available on the Google Play Store and that it had already removed similar tracking apps for violating platform policies.
Apple confirmed it had removed ICEBlock and other related apps from the App Store, citing rules prohibiting content that could result in harm to individuals or groups.
Attorney General Pam Bondi praised the companies for taking action at the time, stating plainly: “These apps put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.” ICEBlock alone had amassed more than a million users before its removal — highlighting the scale of the issue and the speed with which such apps can spread.
The congressional inquiry represents a broader push by the Trump administration and Republican lawmakers to ensure that tech platforms are not enabling efforts to undermine immigration enforcement. With the Biden-era climate having elevated tensions around border security and federal personnel facing increasing hostility, the committee is pressing Silicon Valley to play a more responsible role.
The briefing requested by December 12 is expected to determine what additional safeguards Google and Apple will implement — and whether they will proactively monitor their platforms to block similar apps from emerging in the future.
As the debate over immigration enforcement continues to intensify, one point is clear: lawmakers want big tech companies to stop giving activists digital tools that could put American officers in harm’s way.
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