CNN’s promotion of an app tracking ICE officers’ locations has sparked outrage from officials who claim it endangers agents already facing a surge in violent attacks.
At a Glance
● Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials are blasting CNN for promoting an app that tracks the real-time locations of federal agents.
● The app, “ICEBlock,” allows users to report ICE sightings, sending alerts to other users in the area.
● Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons called the promotion “sickening,” noting his agents already face a 500% increase in assaults.
● Former ICE Director Tom Homan has called for the Department of Justice to investigate CNN’s coverage.
An App to “Paint a Target” on Law Enforcement
A new smartphone app called “ICEBlock,” which allows users to crowdsource and share the real-time locations of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, has ignited a firestorm of controversy after being featured in a segment on CNN. Law enforcement officials are condemning the network for promoting a tool they say “paints a target” on the backs of federal officers.
“CNN’s promotion of an ‘ICE spotting’ app is reckless and irresponsible,” ICE Acting Director Todd M. Lyons said in a scathing statement. “Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening. My officers and agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone.”
A Call for a Department of Justice Investigation
The condemnation was even sharper from former ICE Director Tom Homan, who now serves as a White House “border czar.” In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Homan called for the Department of Justice to investigate CNN’s promotion of the app.
“It’s disgusting,” Homan said. “It’s only a matter of time before someone sits in hiding and waits for an ICE agent and tries to take them out. It is horrendous that a national media outlet will be out there trying to forecast law enforcement operations.”
Media Responsibility vs. Activism
The app’s creator, Joshua Aaron, defends his product as an “early warning system” for immigrant communities and insists it contains warnings against using it to incite violence. CNN has similarly defended its coverage as simply reporting on a publicly available technology and noted that it included ICE’s response in its story.
If the ICE Block app is deemed interfering with law enforcement.
CNN has some serious explaining to do. https://t.co/sZ0NotKNwQ pic.twitter.com/qMth97wWsz
— Dean Skoreyko (@bcbluecon) June 30, 2025
However, critics argue that by giving the app a national platform, the network crossed a line from journalism to dangerous activism. The White House has joined the criticism, with press secretary Karoline Leavitt accusing CNN of encouraging violence against federal agents. As described by The Western Journal, the controversy highlights the intense debate over immigration enforcement and the responsibility of media outlets when reporting on technologies that could compromise the safety of law enforcement.
