WASHINGTON – Apple users can no longer download apps that alert sightings of immigration agents after the company removed several programs from its App Store under pressure from the Trump administration.

ICEBlock, the most popular ICE tracking app, and other services that flagged the nearby presence of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, were removed this week at the request of the Department of Justice.

"We reached out to Apple today demanding they remove the ICEBlock app from their App Store — and Apple did so," Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a statement to USA TODAY. "ICEBlock is designed to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs, and violence against law enforcement is an intolerable red line that cannot be crossed."

In a statement to multiple media outlets, Apple said it removed ICEBlock and other programs "based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated" with the services.

The Trump administration for months has condemned ICE tracking apps, saying they could lead to increased assaults on immigration agents carrying out the federal government's deportation campaign.

In July, President Donald Trump said he was exploring prosecuting CNN after the media outlet reported on ICEBlock, the free app that had hundreds of thousands of anonymous users.

Officials recently linked the apps to the deadly shooting at an immigration facility in Dallas, Texas, that killed two detainees and injured another last month. FBI Director Kash Patel said investigators recovered evidence that the gunman had used ICE tracking apps, but did not identify the specific programs.

Bondi has previously said the Justice Department was investigating ICEBlock's developer Joshua Aaron, telling him to "watch out" and that he is "not protected" under the Constitution.

Aaron did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the app's removal from the App Store. In an interview with USA TODAY last week, he defended the application and said he had not been contacted by the federal authorities.

Contributing: Nick Penzenstadler, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Apple removes ICE tracking apps after demands from Justice Department

Reporting by Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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