CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — “I have friends right now that are scared that — that they’re about to be taken out separate from their families,” says Hector Vaca with Action North Carolina.
That fear caused one app developer, Joshua Aaron, to create IceBlock — an app that allows users to alert people nearby to sightings of ICE agents in their area.
“I think it is a community safety app, right? I think one of the misconceptions of this app is that it harbors criminals. This app doesn’t protect criminals. It provides critical real-time information so individuals can make informed decisions just like anyone would if they knew police were active in their area,” said Mecklenburg County Democratic Hispanic Caucus JD Mazuera Arias.
The ICE website lists more than 26,000 arrests and says nearly 67 thousand are sitting in U.S detention centers.
The White House and ICE directors cited concerns over agent safety in their statements about the app on Monday, saying “agents are facing a 500% increase in assaults.”
“This app is to inform, not obstruct. We do not condone violence against officers of the law or against federal officials of any kind,” said the app developer Joshua Aaron.
“Surely it sounds like this would be an incitement of further violence against our ICE officers,” said White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
Mazuera Arias disagrees.
He believes the app is similar to the Citizen app, where people are notified of things happening in their neighborhood to keep people safe.
Just over two weeks ago, ICE agents and other Homeland Security departments raided a King’s Mountain business said to employ undocumented immigrants using fake identities.
“It’s about transparency and safety, not obstruction. And especially now, when ICE doesn’t differentiate between violent offenders and hardworking individuals, communities need tools to protect themselves,” Mazuera Arias said.
“These apps are wonderful because it’s a way for all of us to keep each other safe, because it’s time that our community be more proactive in keeping each other safe,” Vaca said.
The White House also threatened possible legal action against the app’s developer, claiming the app is unconstitutional. Immigration Attorney Carnell Johnson was hesitant to agree.
“I don’t know if it’s unconstitutional to threaten it, but is certainly a fight that’s going to end up in court. It’s going to be the conflict is going to be over someone’s First Amendment rights, certainly the developers’ rights. The developers of this app, their right to the First Amendment, as well as anyone who utilizes the app or shares information or gets information. And that’s going to be versus the government needs to keep their investigations confidential. So that’s a delicate balance,” Johnson said.
Johnson says the courts will likely do a weighing test, which is normally how the court will consider factors affecting both sides.
