Lawmakers Demand 'immediate’ Probe Into Anti-ice Tracking App: ‘target On Their Backs’

Sedang Trending 6 jam yang lalu

NEWYou tin now perceive to Fox News articles!

FIRST ON FOX: A group of House Republicans is calling for an "immediate" probe into an app that allows group to way federal immigration actions successful existent time.

House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams, R-Texas, and Rep. Pat Fallon, R-Texas, said nan ICEBlock app "paints targets" connected nan backs of Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents passim nan U.S., and asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to analyse whether nan program’s creators are violating national law.

"We are disturbed to study that nan developers of this app whitethorn beryllium encouraging group to interfere pinch and evade lawful ICE operations designed to region criminals from our streets. While nan creators of this app declare to beforehand ‘awareness,’ their actions actively undermine nan integrity of our justness system," their missive to Bondi said.

"The improvement and usage of this app is not simply vicinity awareness; it is simply a blatant interference pinch agency operations that has nan imaginable to put authorities agents successful threat and moreover costs them their lives."

NEW REPORT REVEALS ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION POPULATION HIT NEW HIGH DURING BIDEN-ERA CRISIS 

Following a workplace ICE ambush that resulted successful astir 70 forbidden aliens being arrested astatine a meatpacking works successful Omaha, respective protesters threw rocks and jumped connected national vehicles carrying retired nan operation.

Lawmakers fearfulness a caller app will alteration anti-ICE protesters to face national migration authorities (Minh Connors/Anadolu via Getty Images and ICE)

The memo was signed by 5 different House lawmakers: Reps. Randy Weber, R-Texas; Michael Rulli, R-Ohio; Tom Tiffany, R-Wis.; Mark Alford, R-Mo., and Brad Finstad, R-Minn.

It comes arsenic nan Trump administration’s terrible crackdown connected forbidden migration continues to beryllium a governmental flashpoint betwixt nan correct and left. 

Both sides person accused nan different of acting extracurricular nan scope of national law. Democrats person claimed nan Trump management is utilizing dubious ineligible justifications to transportation retired President Donald Trump’s deportation goals, while Republicans reason that left-wing officials’ guidance to ICE amounts to impeding national authorities.

The ICEBlock app appears to beryllium different bid to artifact national migration authorities. Its explanation connected nan Apple App Store reads, "Stay informed astir reported ICE sightings, wrong a 5 miles radius of your existent location, successful real-time while maintaining your privacy. ICEBlock is simply a community-driven app that allows you to stock and observe location-based reports without revealing immoderate individual data."

ICE AGENTS TARGETED IN 2 AMBUSH ATTACKS IN RECENT DAYS

Roger Williams

House Small Business Committee Chairman Roger Williams is co-leading nan missive pinch Rep. Pat Fallon.

Bondi herself warned developer Joshua Aaron to "watch out" in an quality connected "Hannity."

Aaron told Los Angeles Magazine he created nan app to "fight back" against what he saw arsenic a emergence successful authoritarian tactics.

"Imagine you’re stepping down nan street, and a notification comes up that says, 'ICE spotted 4 blocks ahead’…Instead of continuing down that path, you tin move near aliases move astir and debar nan business altogether," he told nan outlet.

The lawmakers’ missive said, "ICE operations are designed to region vulnerable criminals from our streets. This app, branded arsenic an ‘early informing system,’ deliberately alerts nan nationalist to nan whereabouts of ICE agents, which gives individuals who are present illegally aliases person a criminal grounds clip to hide aliases evade apprehension."

"This app not only hinders criminal apprehension efforts but besides makes nan Department of Justice and nan Department of Homeland Security’s ngo of protecting nationalist information much difficult," they wrote.

BORDER AGENT AMBUSH SHOWS DEMS NEED TO 'TONE DOWN RHETORIC,' WHITE HOUSE SAYS, PUSHING AOC TO MEET WITH ICE

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

They based on that nationalist knowledge of ICE raids led to nan chaos successful Los Angeles, erstwhile protesters fought pinch rule enforcement for respective days.

"Given nan severity of this issue, we respectfully petition that nan Department of Justice statesman an contiguous investigation into ‘ICEBlock’ and its developers to find whether it violates national laws pertaining to obstruction of justness and aiding and abetting fugitives," they wrote.

Fox News Digital reached retired to nan Department of Justice (DOJ) for comment. Fox News Digital besides reached retired to nan developer of ICEBlock via nan app’s website.

Elizabeth Elkind is simply a authorities newsman for Fox News Digital starring sum of nan House of Representatives. Previous integer bylines seen astatine Daily Mail and CBS News.

Follow connected Twitter astatine @liz_elkind and nonstop tips to [email protected]

Selengkapnya