Google and Apple pulled into Raskin's ICE investigation

Source: Politico

06/16/2026 12:00 PM EDT


Apple and Google are facing a Democratic probe accusing them of acquiescing to the Trump administration’s demands that they remove apps used to track and document Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations. House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) sent letters to both companies Tuesday demanding all documents detailing their communications about the apps with the White House, the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, according to documents first obtained by POLITICO.

Raskin launched an investigation into accusations the Trump administration pressured Google and Apple into blocking apps like ICEBlock, ICE Immigration Alerts and Red Dot in February, a probe that came as the Democrats challenged the White House’s immigration crackdown and use of force against protesters. The apps crowdsourced sightings of immigration enforcement officers and functioned as community alerts about DHS operations.

Then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanded that the companies remove the apps from their stores, saying they threatened officers’ safety. Apple and Google said they removed the apps for violating their platforms’ policies.

Raskin said Apple and Google were helping the Trump administration violate First Amendment rights by removing the apps. “What drove this decision was not functionality, not safety, and not your anti-discrimination guidelines. It was governmental pressure, plain and simple,” Raskin said in the letter.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/news/2026/06/16/raskin-ice-investigation-google-apple-00963363