July 3, 2025
The app encourages everyone to “see something, tap something” to help in the fight against ICE raids.
As protests against ICE raids continue across the United States, a new app is allowing users to report ICE sightings in an instant.
ICEBlock helps users gain real-time information on when and where ICE will conduct checks. Users can report sightings of ICE officials within a five-mile radius of their designated area, all while remaining anonymous on the app.
The app’s developer, Joshua Aaron, sparked the idea following calls on social media to state whenever ICE officials were in people’s neighborhoods. This move gives undocumented individuals a heads-up to avoid encountering the agency.
After noting how the current mass deportations compared to those of Nazi Germany in the 1940s, Aaron wanted to “fight back” against the Trump administration’s plans to deport anyone undocumented, with agents reportedly infringing on civil rights.
“When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,” Aaron told CNN. “We’re literally watching history repeat itself.”
ICEBlock has already gained over 70,000 users, reaching the top of the App Store’s most downloaded list, as confirmed by The Independent. Encouraging people to “See something, tap something,” it supports everyday iPhone users to contribute to the cause. It is also available in 14 languages, thereby expanding its accessibility.
According to the app’s website, its process was modeled after Waze, storing no personal data to avoid tracking one’s identity. Its mission lies in informing communities whenever ICE is near, also emphasizing the agency’s “alleged civil rights abuses.”
“In recent years, ICE has faced criticism for alleged civil rights abuses and failures to adhere to constitutional principles and due process, making it crucial for communities to stay informed about its operations,” detailed the app’s website. “Modeled after Waze but for ICE sightings, the app ensures user privacy by storing no personal data, making it impossible to trace reports back to individual users.”
However, the Trump administration has already condemned the app’s usage, claiming it incites violence. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem called the app itself “illegal,” while threatening prosecution for any involved. The federal government also criticized CNN for covering the app’s popularity, with ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons stating that the network is “willfully endangering” officers by reporting this news.
Despite this, Aaron emphasized that violence is not the goal of ICEBlock. He defended the app, claiming that it serves to inform people, while giving them the option not to engage if possible.
“We state this multiple times in the app, and I have reiterated this in every interview I have given,” asserted Aaron. ICEBlock serves to ‘inform, not obstruct’ and its goal is to allow people to avoid potentially harmful encounters with ICE.”
Although ICEBlock remains on the government’s watchlist, Aaron remains undeterred, hoping to keep the app on U.S. iPhones for as long as the ICE raids persist.
“We will not be intimidated,” expressed Aaron. “As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores people’s constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back.”
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