A new lawsuit alleges that federal officials pressured Apple, Meta and Google to suppress apps and online groups that document ICE activity, raising new First Amendment concerns.
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) announced Wednesday that it will be suing Attorney General Pam Bondi and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. The lawsuit centers on First Amendment obstruction.
The filing alleges that administrators tried to get major tech companies like Apple, Google and Meta to censor apps and social media groups dedicated to monitoring and reporting ICE activity.
“As we’ve seen across the country, particularly in Minneapolis, citizen videos have fueled discussion and debate about ICE’s operations and tactics,” said FIRE attorney Colin McDonell.
The lawsuit asks the court to find that Bondi and Noem violated the First Amendment. He is also seeking an injunction to prevent a repeat act.
“The right to share information about our government is essential to a free society,” FIRE blogged about the following. “If someone goes out and commits a crime, they can and should be punished for their actions. But in a free society, we don’t punish protected speech.”
SUE: FIRE is suing AG Pam Bondi and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem for strong-arming Facebook and Apple to censor groups and apps reporting ICE activity using public information.
The First Amendment protects the right to record and criticize what law enforcement agencies do in public. pic.twitter.com/8PGWbRZxpM
— FIRE (@TheFIREorg) February 11, 2026
Specifically, FIRE represents Kae Rosado and Mark Hodges, who created a Facebook group and app dedicated to informing the public and holding the government accountable for its actions. Rosado started the group after seeing fear in her local community about the impact of ICE raids in Chicago.
Hodges created the “Eyes Up” app, which allowed users to share and view videos of ICE activities around the country. Hodges and his moderators review and approve each video manually.
Political activist Laura Loomer tagged both Noem and Bondi in a post on X, saying Rosado’s group was “letting people get killed,” which it wasn’t. Shortly after, Facebook removed the group, with Bondi claiming credit for the removal.
Around the same time, Bondi went directly to Apple and Google, demanding that the companies remove ICE-critical apps like Eyes Up and ICEBlock.
Apple removed the apps and issued a statement.
“Based on information we received from law enforcement about the security risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store,” Apple said.
In early February, Rep. Jamie Raskin pledged to investigate the Justice Department over alleged pressure to remove ICE’s tracking apps. He called the effort a campaign of coercion and censorship aimed at silencing critics of the administration.