CNN reports that Rep. Jamie Raskin sent a letter to Apple this week challenging the company’s explanation for removing ICEBlock from the App Store last year. Here are the details.

According to CNN, Apple sent a letter to Rep. Jamie Raskin last July explaining its decision to remove ICEBlock and similar apps from the App Store, and Raskin has now responded with new questions about the company’s justification. ICEBlock was one of the most prominent apps that allowed users to report and track ICE activity, growing from around 20,000 users to roughly one million within weeks. Following pressure from the DOJ, Apple removed it, citing concerns over the safety of federal agents after a gunman opened fire on an ICE facility in Dallas.

Apple says its decision was prompted by concerns, including those raised by the Trump administration, about agent safety following the fatal shooting. The company approved ICEBlock in April 2025 after developer Joshua Aaron addressed user privacy concerns, but later removed it for violating guidelines by providing precise location information about ICE officers. Apple also cited concerns raised by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.

Raskin’s new letter questions whether Apple may be “working with the government to violate its customers’ First Amendment rights.” He disputed Apple’s reliance on the Dallas shooting, arguing the gunman didn't need an app to locate a fixed facility.