In late September 2025, 300 ICE agents raided an apartment building in Chicago's South Shore neighborhood. They kicked down doors after midnight while people slept in their beds. They zip-tied children and used flash bangs on families, including American citizens. A federal judge later ruled that ICE illegally detained hundreds without warrants or probable cause, violating a court order.¹

The apps that could have warned those families? The tools that could have documented what agents did and help hold them accountable for their actions? Gone. Deleted from the app stores just days earlier – at Trump's request.

Trump's Attorney General, Pam Bondi, made a phone call, and that's all it took. Apple ripped ICEBlock from the App Store.² Google pulled Red Dot.³ The largest apps that let people document ICE activity and warn their neighbors were gone. Legal. Protected speech. Removed overnight simply because the administration asked.

Apple says "Privacy is a fundamental human right." Google's motto was "Don't be evil." But both companies folded instantly at the slightest pressure.

They're also profiting from ICE's constant illegal activity: both companies hold contracts with ICE and CBP (Customs and Border Protection).⁴ They build the tools that track immigrants, then silence the tools that hold our government accountable. They picked a side.

Communities aren't waiting for permission. When Big Tech pulled the plug, families turned to platforms like ResistMap – built outside the app stores, beyond corporate reach. No app to delete. No company to pressure. No billionaire board to fold under a phone call.

But no one should have to route around corporate censorship to document government abuse.

Demand Apple and Google terminate all contracts with ICE and CBP and commit publicly to protect Americans' right to document and share information about law enforcement activity - just as they already do with Waze, Citizen, or any other app.

Click 'START WRITING' to send a direct message to CEOs Tim Cook and Sundar Pichai now.

References

1. ProPublica: "'I Lost Everything': Venezuelans Were Rounded Up in a Dramatic Midnight Raid but Never Charged With a Crime"
2. The Guardian: "Apple removes ICEBlock app from App Store after Trump administration pressure"
3. Android Authority: "Google removes Red Dot ICE alert app from Play Store citing policy violations"
4. Wired: "Apple and Google Pull ICE-Tracking Apps, Bowing to DOJ Pressure"