Border czar Tom Homan called for the Department of Justice to investigate CNN for reporting on an app called ICEBlock, which tracks the movements of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
In an interview with right-wing political commentator Benny Johnson on Monday, Homan called the coverage of the app “disgusting” and “horrendous,” claiming that the outlet was “trying to forecast law enforcement operations” and putting ICE officers in danger.
“It’s incredible where we’re at as a country, and I think DOJ needs to look at this and see if they crossed that line,” Homan said on Johnson’s podcast, The Benny Show, on Monday.
The CNN coverage in question does not directly condone the use of the app, and it did not display the locations of ICE agents in its presentation of the app, though it did give detailed information on how it works.
Clare Duffy conducted the segment, interviewing app creator Joshua Aaron about how the app works and why he created it. Duffy asked Aaron about the written disclaimer on the app: “Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only. It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement.”
“The app was designed to inform, not obstruct,“ Aaron said. Rather, he claimed ICEBlock, which he stated had approximately 20,000 users at the time of his interview, was made to be an “early warning system” that allowed users to report ICE sightings anonymously, especially in Los Angeles, a recent target of mass ICE deportations.
Todd Lyons, acting director of ICE, released a statement that criticized the CNN coverage of ICEBlock, saying the app “paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs.”
A spokesperson for Kristi Noem said the app looked like an “obstruction of justice.”
“Our brave ICE law enforcement face a 500% increase in assaults against them. If you obstruct or assault our law enforcement, we will hunt you down and you will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” they said.
