In October, Apple gave in to pressure from the Trump administration and removed ICEBlock – and similar apps that crowdsourced the location of immigration and customs enforcement activities – from its App Store. The justification put forward by Apple? The apps could “be used to harm law enforcement.” But ICE agents, armed to the teeth, do not need protection from civilians. Apple had this exactly backwards.
That became impossible to ignore Wednesday, when ICE Agent Jonathon Ross killed Renée Nicole, 37 years old, cold-blooded maid. Now you no longer need me to recount his brutal final moments. But the images (as graphic and disturbing as they are) are available, and we can see the Trump administration’s propaganda about the event for what it is.
ICE was a dangerous force long before this week. It was the agency’s ninth shooting since September. 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025. About a third of people arrested by ICE agents – often masked and refusing to identify themselves – I don’t even have a criminal record.
What changed this week is probably that the victim was not a brown-skinned person. ICE took the life of a white American citizen, who, according to to his wife, was a kind and loving mother and a Christian. Unfortunately, the United States has a dark history of rejecting violence as long as it is directed against a marginalized group. Here, this was not possible for mainstream newspaper readers.
LOS ANGELES, CA – JANUARY 8, 2026 Dozens of people, holding photos of Renee Nicole Good, protest her death a day after an ICE agent killed Good in Minneapolis, outside the federal building in downtown Los Angeles on January 8, 2026. (Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images) (Genaro Molina via Getty Images)
On Thursday, Vice President JD Vance coating Good baselessly insisting the mother was part of a “left-wing network.” He also claimed that ICE has “absolute immunity” when it comes to killing Americans in broad daylight. Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt framed the deadly incident is the “result of a larger, sinister left-wing movement that has spread across our country.” And the FBI has blocked The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Investigation was blocked from accessing evidence to conduct a thorough review of the homicide.
In short: an agency with the full support of the federal government killed an innocent citizen, and while there are tools to inform the public about likely places this agency might act, Apple has chosen to hide them from us.
Apple has a history of presenting itself as a safer, socially progressive alternative to Big Tech. His speeches are full of heartfelt stories about the life-saving features of the iPhone and Apple Watch. He launches pride-themed accessories to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community and the company has (so far) resisted government pressure to eliminate its DEI programs. Hell, his modern era was kicked off by the “To All the Fools” Television advertisingwhich intersperses images of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John Lennon and Gandhi – explicitly masking its corporate image in civil disobedience and social justice.
A photo of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Apple’s home page (2015) (Apple / Internet Archive)
But the company also promotes this progressive image for selfish reasons, hiding its business priorities under the guise of conscience. For example, when government regulations push for openness or interoperability, Apple warns of security and privacy risks for its users. When Apple tightly controls where you can buy apps, it’s keep porn out of reach of children. And Apple has decided that the theoretical safety of ICE agents is more valuable than the very real threat they pose to the communities they harass.
The availability of ICEBlock on the App Store may not have changed the outcome of Wednesday’s events. But he could return to his work as a community informant. This could make it easier to inform the public about where these masked thugs are congregating, perhaps even helping others avoid Good’s fate.
Engadget has reached out to Apple for comment on ICEBlock’s reinstatement; we will update if we receive a response.
