U.S. Government Ends Pressure on Tech to Block ICE Reporting

The United States government agreed to end efforts to pressure Apple and Facebook into restricting platforms used to report Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The settlement resolves a lawsuit filed in February by the nonprofit Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) on behalf of Mark Hodges and Kae Rosado.

The lawsuit alleged that federal pressure caused Facebook to disable the ICE Sightings – Chicagoland group and led Apple to remove the Eyes Up app, violating the creators' free speech rights. As part of the agreement, the government made a preliminary injunction permanent.

U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso ordered that the federal government "shall take no actions, formal or informal, to demand or pressure" the tech companies to suppress these platforms. The legal battle took place against the backdrop of a broader immigration crackdown and deportation drive led by President Donald Trump.