Department of Justice Under Fire for Pressuring Tech Giants to Remove App Tracking ICE Agents' Sightings
A US congressional committee has requested the Department of Justice to turn over all communication records between the agency and Apple and Google regarding the removal of apps that shared information about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from their app stores. The apps, which allowed users to report the locations of ICE agents, were suddenly pulled down in October.
House Judiciary Committee member Jamie Raskin has written to Attorney General Pam Bondi, criticizing the DOJ's actions as a "coercion and censorship campaign" aimed at silencing critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policy. Raskin is particularly concerned about the removal of apps that could potentially expose wrongdoing by the administration.
Raskin has been vocal in his criticism of the Trump administration's handling of protests against ICE policies, which have resulted in violent confrontations and false information being disseminated to the public. In recent months, two Minneapolis residents were fatally shot by ICE agents, with claims made by federal officials contradicting eyewitness accounts and camera footage.
The DOJ's actions have been seen as an attempt to suppress evidence that could undermine the administration's narrative on these incidents, as well as its broader immigration policy. Raskin has likened the government's actions to an "Orwellian" effort to cover up its mistakes.
A US congressional committee has requested the Department of Justice to turn over all communication records between the agency and Apple and Google regarding the removal of apps that shared information about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from their app stores. The apps, which allowed users to report the locations of ICE agents, were suddenly pulled down in October.
House Judiciary Committee member Jamie Raskin has written to Attorney General Pam Bondi, criticizing the DOJ's actions as a "coercion and censorship campaign" aimed at silencing critics of President Donald Trump's immigration policy. Raskin is particularly concerned about the removal of apps that could potentially expose wrongdoing by the administration.
Raskin has been vocal in his criticism of the Trump administration's handling of protests against ICE policies, which have resulted in violent confrontations and false information being disseminated to the public. In recent months, two Minneapolis residents were fatally shot by ICE agents, with claims made by federal officials contradicting eyewitness accounts and camera footage.
The DOJ's actions have been seen as an attempt to suppress evidence that could undermine the administration's narrative on these incidents, as well as its broader immigration policy. Raskin has likened the government's actions to an "Orwellian" effort to cover up its mistakes.
The gov is really stepping out of bounds now... like, can't they just chill? First off, I think it's super suspicious that these two big tech companies just happened to take down all those ICE-tracking apps at the same time 
. Was it a coincidence or were they getting pressure from somewhere? And now this rep from Congress is calling out the DOJ for basically being a co-conspirator with Google and Apple 
... it's like, come on, that's some serious coercion going on here 
.
. Like, those Minneapolis residents who got shot by ICE agents, there was no way the government just... happened to erase all that footage 
. It's not about protecting national security or whatever, it's about hiding their own wrongdoing 
.
... we need to keep pushing back on this kind of thing, even if it's uncomfortable 
.
? so like, they're pressuring tech giants to remove apps that help ppl track ICE agents lol what is wrong with our gov? 
they wanna silence critics of trump's immigration policy? come on! it's like, freedom of speech and all that jazz 
but seriously tho, this is some serious shady stuff. i mean, if they're trying to cover up wrongdoing, that's just bad governance period 
, can't believe Apple and Google just cave in to the DOJ's pressure? I mean, what's next? They're going to start deleting all the VPNs too? 
It's like they're trying to create a surveillance state or something. And for what? So the government can keep its track record of questionable behavior clean? 
The people have a right to know about ICE agents' sightings, especially after those fatal shootings in Minneapolis. This is just another example of Big Brother watching over us 
. Why do tech giants always get dragged into these situations? Can't they just speak up for themselves instead of being bullied by the government? 
this is getting out of hand!!! like, can't we just report on what's really going down without the gov pressuring tech giants to censor us? 
i mean, what's next? them taking over our internet too? that's some serious chill vibes right there 
...I mean, users were reporting agents' locations with no regard for public safety or the officers themselves. It's like, don't we want our citizens to be informed about what's going on, but also not putting innocent lives at risk? 
. The DOJ's actions aren't perfect, but maybe they're trying to strike a balance between protecting public safety and allowing dissent.