Facebook removes ICE tracking page after US government ‘reaches out’

Meta has removed a Facebook page dedicated to tracking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions in Chicago after the Justice Department intervened.

Prosecutor Pam Bondi Written on X On Tuesday, Facebook removed an unnamed “large group page” that was used to target ICE agents after reaching out to the Department of Justice. Meta spokesman Andy Stone confirmed that the group, which he did not identify, “was removed for violating our policies against coordinated harm.” Follow its removal apple And Google Ban ICE tracking apps, also based on government demands.

The Justice Department declined to comment beyond Bondi’s post, and ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether there were specific, credible threats to ICE agents on the page. The Ministry of Justice appears to have taken action after that Laura Lemirea right-wing influencer who has led several campaigns against federal employees she considers disloyal to Trump, Posted by Facebook group It’s called “ICE Sighting-Chicagoland” which claimed to “provide location updates on ICE raids and the locations of ICE agents in the Chicago area.” While neither the Department of Justice nor Meta confirmed the name of the group that was removed, Loomer She claimed a Justice Department source told her The agency saw her post and contacted Meta about such pages.

As President Donald Trump has strengthened immigration enforcement across the country, including through more aggressive tactics such as workplace raids, many community tools and groups have emerged to alert people to the presence of ICE in their area. The ICEBlock app is used to report ICE sightings anonymously It rose to the top of the Apple App Store This summer before it was Likewise removed by Apple After the Justice Department contacted Bondi, Bondi claimed the order was “designed to put ICE agents in danger simply for doing their job.” IceBlock developer Joshua Aaron He said Fox News Digital It was “plainly false” that the app “served to harm law enforcement officers.”

As private companies, Apple and Meta can generally legally remove groups or apps as they see fit. But Bondi’s statement raises questions about whether the government is engaging in illegal solicitations, or pressuring private parties to rescind the legal letter. It’s not clear specifically what the Justice Department told the platforms that prompted them to take action, or whether Meta would have removed the page even without government intervention. But management has Recently suggested that a wide range of speech It may constitute practical support for domestic terrorism and pledged to take strict measures against it.

The incident is particularly notable because President Donald Trump and other Republicans have repeatedly described the Biden administration’s outreach to tech platforms over misinformation related to the coronavirus and voting as censorship. Criticism of the government’s role In flagged posts they described as harmful to voting participation or public health. The conservative state prosecutor filed a lawsuit against the administration in the case He went all the way to the Supreme CourtWhich found “no tangible link” between deplatforming decisions and government outreach to technology executives.

There is also little direct evidence that ICE trackers have led to violence. The administration ramped up pressure after claiming that a shooter at a Dallas field office in September used tracking apps, but it’s unclear what role, if any, he played in the attack (which left Two detainees And there are no ICE officers.) ICE agents have been exposed to more attacks as their presence in US communities has increased, but to a much lesser extent than the government has claimed. Modern NPR Report found.