ICE lambastes CNN for hyping up new app aimed at targeting federal agents

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement slammed CNN for giving favorable coverage to a new app that allows users to upload media of immigration operations they see to warn others within a five-mile radius.

The app was created in the aftermath of the anti-ICE riots in Los Angeles and comes at a time when violence against federal agents has dramatically increased. The founder of the app says he does not want anyone to interfere with operations, claiming the app is intended to warn illegal immigrants to stay away from certain areas.

'CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens.'

RELATED: Doxxing danger: Foreign-based anti-ICE site threatens agents as assaults against officers surge

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

"When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back," Joshua Aaron told CNN, comparing the deportation of illegal aliens to Nazi Germany. "We’re literally watching history repeat itself."

In response to the report, ICE acting Director Todd Lyons said CNN was being "reckless" because advertising such an app will only make the current operational environment more dangerous for federal agents.

“Advertising an app that basically paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs is sickening. My officers and agents are already facing a 500% increase in assaults, and going on live television to announce an app that lets anyone zero in on their locations is like inviting violence against them with a national megaphone," Lyons said. "CNN is willfully endangering the lives of officers who put their lives on the line every day and enabling dangerous criminal aliens to evade U.S. law. Is this simply reckless 'journalism' or overt activism?"

In its social media post, ICE claimed, "CNN never reached out to ICE for comment."

Prior to the app's release, far-left groups in cities like Los Angeles had been relying on social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and X to spread the word of ICE or Border Patrol activities. Warning posts on social media on agents' whereabouts have led to rioters physically confronting federal agents, leading to greater anger from locals within the region.

President Donald Trump has promised immigration enforcement operations will continue in Southern California despite the greater resistance.

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