ICEBlock app allows you to report ICE activity

MCALLEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — It is among the top five current social networking apps downloaded on Apple's App Store, helping people report where ice raids are happening. However, not all agree with what it does.

Joshua Aaron, who developed the app, says he immediately started working on it once President Donald Trump was elected to a second term, as he feared what he could do in terms of immigration crackdowns. Now, the app has more than 700 thousand users.

“As of two days ago, I'm really happy to share we have 705,000 users across this nation, and that just shows that U.S. citizens are standing up and doing their part to fight back and protect their communities," Aaron said.

Rio Grande Valley residents seemed to have different opinions on the app, even though Aaron says it is meant to help people avoid trouble with law enforcement, not cause problems.

“I’m kinda indifferent because, of course, people have to do their job, and I know people are trying to make a living, and there are a lot of people that are hurting that can’t do their job because they are afraid," said Nadia Gonzalez from Donna. "That’s the scary part.”

Gonzalez says fear over ICE raids has caused more people to stay home. However, she and others like Salvador Sanchez understand how the ICEBlock app can harm what United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers are trying to accomplish.

"It has its pros and cons," Sanchez said. "For example, if an illegal immigrant is a criminal, then obviously this tool will help them escape. But if it’s a hardworking or honest person, I think it’s fine for them. It's only human to want to prosper.”

The app allows people to report any ICE activity they see through just a few taps. Once a report is made, then all app users within a five-mile radius get a notification.

Aaron says it’s anonymous and has safeguards against false reports.

“You can't just type in 123, Main Street, report, and start spamming the app," the developer said. "This has to be a valid address from a drop-down list of auto completes, or you're tapping on the map, which, of course, validates the address right there. All reported sightings are automatically deleted every four hours. So the worst case scenario that we could think of is that people at risk avoid those situations or avoid those locations for a couple of hours.”

In a statement sent to Valley Central, ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons stated, “Advertising an app that paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening. ICE 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. News outlets who advertise this app are willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens to evade U.S. Law."

Aaron says the goal is not to obstruct but rather to avoid confrontation. He says the app is protected under the First Amendment and he has not seen any legal action against him or his app.

“This is the same thing as, let's say, Waze or Apple Maps, where you're driving down the road and you see a reported speed trap ahead," Aaron said. "So what do you do? You slow down, and you avoid that confrontation, and you avoid getting a ticket. This is the same concept.”

The app is currently only available for iPhone users.