WASHINGTON, D.C.: Apple and Google have blocked downloads of several smartphone apps that crowdsource sightings of U.S. immigration agents, hours after the Trump administration demanded one of the most popular, ICEBlock, be removed from Apple's App Store.

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi said such tools endanger Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers. But developers and immigrant-rights advocates argue the removals suppress free speech and strip vulnerable communities of a key tool for safety as President Donald Trump intensifies immigration enforcement.

Bondi said her office contacted Apple this week, demanding the takedown of ICEBlock, which she called "designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs." Apple complied within hours, emailing creator Joshua Aaron that law enforcement had provided evidence the app violated store policies by sharing "location information about law enforcement officers that can be used to harm such officers individually or as a group."

Aaron, whose app had more than one million users, condemned the decision as "bending to an authoritarian regime." He said ICEBlock functions much like Waze or Google Maps, allowing users to report sightings within a five-mile radius. "It's not illegal or doxing anyone — it's an early warning system for people," he said.

Immigration advocates called the removals chilling. "These apps are a lifeline for communities living in fear of when ICE might show up to tear their families apart," said Kica Matos, president of the National Immigration Law Center.

Apple confirmed removing "similar apps" after safety concerns were raised by law enforcement. Google followed suit, citing Android policy violations.

Civil-rights lawyer Alejandra Caraballo of Harvard's Cyberlaw Clinic warned the move sets a dangerous precedent. "Government pressure to block apps is a hallmark of authoritarian regimes," she said, noting Apple's 2019 removal of a Hong Kong protest app under Chinese pressure.

Bondi has long criticized apps tracking law enforcement, warning in July that Aaron "better watch out because that's not protected speech." Tensions escalated after a gunman opened fire at an ICE facility in Dallas; officials said he had searched for such apps, though investigators have not linked the shooting to any platform.

Sherman Austin, founder of Stop ICE Raids Alert Network, said the government is using isolated incidents to justify censorship. His platform, StopICE.net, sends text alerts about ICE activity and now has over 500,000 subscribers. He said it recently fought a Department of Homeland Security subpoena for data on its Instagram account, calling it "a retaliatory attack on First Amendment rights."

A DHS spokesperson said the agency supports Apple's "correct decision" and accused media outlets of "framing it as caving to pressure instead of preventing further bloodshed."

Austin countered that the removals reflect broader efforts to control dissent. "This administration wants to dictate what information the public can access," he said. "We have to fight back before we lose the ability to speak freely."