A new platform that encourages users to share information about sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents nearby rose to the top of the Apple App Store this week, amid criticism from Trump administration officials who say the app could put agents at risk. <\/p>\n
ICEBlock, which launched in April, made headlines after a CNN article about it<\/a> was called out by White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt and ICE acting Director Todd M. Lyons on Monday<\/a>. Both cited concerns over agent safety in their statements about the app, stating that \u201cagents are facing a 500% increase in assaults.\u201d <\/p>\n But Joshua Aaron, ICEBlock\u2019s Texas-based developer, called the administration\u2019s recent criticism \u201canother right-wing fearmongering scare tactic,\u201d telling NBC News in a phone interview on Tuesday that his app was designed to be a resource for immigrants who are fearful they will get deported. He said he felt like he was \u201cwatching history repeat itself\u201d when he saw things like \u201c5-year-olds in courtrooms with no representation<\/a>\u201d and \u201ccollege students being disappeared for their political opinions.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cWhen I saw what was happening in this country, I really just wanted to do something to help fight back,\u201d said Aaron, a onetime musician who spent several months working on the app. \u201cI grew up in a Jewish household, and being part of the Jewish community, I had the chance to meet Holocaust survivors and learn the history of what happened in Nazi Germany, and the parallels that we can draw between what\u2019s happening right now in our country and Hitler\u2019s rise to power are undeniable.\u201d <\/p>\n The app, which is free and gives users the ability to anonymously report ICE sightings within a five-mile radius, had approximately 95,200 users as of Monday, Aaron said. He said he has not received updated figures from Apple since the White House and ICE issued their comments on the app.<\/p>\n ICEBlock is among several crowdsourcing platforms \u2014 including the website People Over Papers<\/a> and the app ResistMap<\/a> \u2014 that people across the U.S. have utilized to warn immigrants in their communities about ICE\u2019s whereabouts. Its popularity comes amid the Trump administration\u2019s crackdown on immigration. Raids<\/a> \u2014 and subsequent protests in cities like Los Angeles \u2014 have become more widespread as ICE has ramped up its deportation of immigrants<\/a>. <\/p>\n The White House has stood by its policies, stating last month<\/a> that President Donald Trump \u201cremains committed to enforcing federal immigration law \u2014 anyone present in the United States illegally is at risk of deportation.\u201d <\/p>\n In Monday\u2019s White House briefing, Leavitt said<\/a> she had not seen CNN\u2019s report about ICEBlock, but described the app as \u201cencouraging violence against law enforcement officers who are trying to keep our country safe.\u201d <\/p>\n When asked for comment about ICEBlock, a spokesperson for ICE referred NBC News to Lyons\u2019 previous statement in which he called CNN\u2019s reporting \u201csickening,\u201d and said the app \u201cbasically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers\u2019 backs.\u201d He also expressed concern that covering the app could invite \u201cviolence against them with a national megaphone.\u201d <\/p>\n Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also weighed in on Tuesday, saying, \u201cWe\u2019re working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them [CNN] for that.\u201d <\/p>\n \u201cBecause what they\u2019re doing is actively encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activities, operations,\u201d she said<\/a> while speaking to reporters alongside President Trump in Florida. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to actually go after them and prosecute them with the partnership of Pam if we can. Because what they\u2019re doing, we believe, is illegal.\u201d <\/p>\n CNN did not immediately respond to NBC News’ request for comment. <\/p>\n