White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt slammed CNN on Monday, accusing the network of "encouraging violence" for airing a segment about ICEBlock — a controversial new app that tracks Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.
During a press briefing, Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan asked Leavitt for comment, citing a 500% spike in assaults against ICE agents, according to recent Department of Homeland Security data.
Leavitt didn’t mince words. "Surely, it sounds like this would be an incitement of further violence against our ICE officers," she said. "These are law enforcement officers trying to remove public safety threats from our communities."
She added, "It’s unacceptable that a major network would promote such an app. Americans — including journalists at CNN — should be grateful for ICE. We’ll look at the segment, but promoting this app is wrong."
CNN defended itself quickly. A spokesperson said the network merely reported on a "publicly available app" and contacted ICE for comment before the story aired. The ICE response is now included in the article.
ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons blasted the app, calling it a threat. “ICEBlock basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs,” he said. “Officers and agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults.”
CNN aired an interview with ICEBlock creator Joshua Aaron, who compared U.S. deportation efforts to Nazi Germany. “We’re literally watching history repeat itself,” he said.
Aaron insisted the app is for alerts only — not action. It deletes reports every four hours, limits sightings to a five-mile radius, and allows just one report every five minutes. Users remain anonymous.
Still, the app’s own disclaimer warns users: “It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement.” Despite that, critics say it does exactly the opposite.