US: Developer launches ICEBlock App to help immigrants avoid ICE raids

Joshua Aaron, a longtime tech developer, has launched an app that alerts users to nearby U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity — a move he says is meant to “fight back” against what he calls an escalating crackdown on immigrants under President Donald Trump.

Aaron has worked in tech for nearly two decades. He built his first app — a blackjack game — when he was just 13 at a computer camp.

His latest creation, ICEBlock, was launched in April. The goal: to warn people in real time about ICE activity in their area.

“When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,” Aaron said.

He said the deportation efforts feel “reminiscent of Nazi Germany.”

“We’re literally watching history repeat itself,” he said.

ICEBlock already has more than 20,000 users. Many are in Los Angeles, where large-scale ICE operations have triggered protests.

The app acts as an “early warning system,” Aaron explained. Users drop a pin on a map to report sightings of ICE agents.

They can include optional notes — like what officers were wearing or the type of car they were driving.

Other users within five miles get a push alert.

Aaron said he hopes the app helps people avoid encounters with ICE — but insists it’s not meant to interfere with law enforcement.

“Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,” the app warns. “It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement.”

The app collects no personal data, Aaron said. Users are completely anonymous.

“We don’t want anybody’s device ID, IP address, location,” he said. “We don’t want anything being discoverable.”

“This is 100% anonymous and free for anybody who wants to use it.”

Aaron said the app is only on iOS because Android would require collecting user data to offer the same functionality — something he wanted to avoid.

He has also added safeguards to limit abuse. Users can only report sightings within five miles of their current location.

They can only post once every five minutes.

Reports are automatically deleted after four hours.

Aaron says he has no plans to monetize the app.

He wants it to remain “a service to the community.”

His approach contrasts with other tech leaders who have backed Trump or increased U.S. investments under his administration’s pro-manufacturing push.

“I think I would say grow a backbone. You can’t just be about the money,” Aaron said.

“I understand that you have shareholders to report to. I understand that you have employees that need their paychecks,” he added.

“But at what point do you say, ‘Enough is enough’?”

(CNN)

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