Latest news with #JoshuaAaron
The National
19 hours ago
- Business
- The National
Wife of ICEBlock developer considers legal options after firing from Justice Department
A woman who was fired as an auditor for the US government because of an immigration police-tracking app her husband created says she is weighing her legal options. The Department of Justice says Carolyn Feinstein has a 'sizeable interest' in the company which developed the ICEBlock app, ALL U Chart. Trump administration officials have taken issue with the app, which has more than one million downloads and allows users to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location,' a Justice Department representative told The National. 'This DoJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' Ms Feinstein, who worked from the DoJ's Austin, Texas office as a forensic auditor, was fired from her job at the weekend. She told The National that while she owns a portion of All U Chart, her husband, Joshua Aaron, is the majority owner. She said she is listed as a stakeholder so she could wind down the company in the event something were to happen to her husband. 'I had no part in developing the app, coding the app, or marketing the app in any way,' she said. 'My only relation to it is that I'm married to the creator.' She said she is exploring potential legal options to challenge her dismissal, and looking for new career opportunities. 'There's going to be bigger and better things out there,' she said. Mr Aaron said his company, All U Chart, is currently working on a healthcare app unrelated to the ICEBlock app that has become the source of ire in the Trump administration. Since its release this year, the app has gained popularity as President Donald Trump approved significant funding increases for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Masked ICE agents have swept up thousands of migrants in a nationwide dragnet that has sometimes snared US citizens and green card holders. Current and former detainees have said they were kept in dismal conditions in ICE custody, charges the agency denies. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said Mr Aaron, who lives in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National in an interview last week that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials within an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data and relies on people reporting where ICE agents are. ICEBlock also allows users to describe the vehicles ICE agents are using and the clothes they are wearing. When a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to nearby users. It is only available for iPhone. According to Mr Aaron, the privacy settings he deems necessary for ICEBlock are not yet possible on Android devices. US Attorney General Pam Bondi has suggested that the app should be considered illegal, and recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into' the developer, Mr Aaron. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software has the potential to be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Mr Aaron says ICEBlock is strictly designed to inform, and not to obstruct. Laura Loomer, a far-right activist well known for her controversial and xenophobic comments, posted information about his wife on X last week. 'I reviewed Carolyn's LinkedIn page, and she has been working for the DOJ since January 2021 when Joe Biden assumed office,' said Ms Loomer's post.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Wife of ICEBlock App Founder Speaks Out After DOJ Fires Her
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The wife of the creator of an app that lets users track the real-time location of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents said she has been fired from her job at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Carolyn Feinstein said that she had been dismissed from her auditing job as a "retaliation" for her husband, Joshua Aaron's activism, which ICE and the Department of Homeland Security have condemned as putting federal agents' lives at risk. The DOJ told Newsweek: "For several weeks, the Department of Justice inquired into this former employee's activities and discovered she has a sizable interest in All U Chart, Inc., the company that holds the IP for ICEBlock. ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location. This DOJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers." Newsweek also reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and Joshua Aaron via email for comment. Why It Matters The ICEBlock app allows users to access and update a real-time map of ICE activity across the United States. Aaron created it to help people avoid encounters with ICE, and he has repeatedly stated that it is not designed to interfere with law enforcement. However, the Department of Homeland Security has said the app "paints a target on federal law enforcement officers' backs." What To Know In an interview with MSW Media on Monday, Feinstein said that she had been planning to spend her entire career at the DOJ and suspected that there were political motivations behind her removal. The Daily Beast published a copy of her termination letter from the department. "I got an email informing me that I was terminated effectively immediately," Feinstein said. "There was no notice and no phone calls; it was just an immediate termination via email. "I wasn't just terminated, I was targeted. I was fired as retaliation for my husband's activism. It's probably been about a week and a half since people realized I was married to Joshua Aaron. It was never concealed or secret; I think people just hadn't realized it yet. "Since then, there has been an outcry for my firing, accusing me of everything from providing information to the app, through my position with the U.S. trustee, to outright treason, and none of that is true. Aaron has been extremely critical of ICE's actions and compared the deportations to the politics of Nazi Germany while speaking to Newsweek earlier this month. "When we see ICE agents outside of elementary schools, disappearing college students for their political beliefs or ripping babies from their mothers' arms as they scream for their children, we all know their rhetoric of 'getting rid of the worst of the worst' is a lie," Aaron said. "As I often say, if you ever wondered what you would've done if you lived in Germany during Hitler's rise to power, wonder no more because you're doing it right now. Developing ICEBlock was my way of joining the fight and giving people a chance to help protect themselves and their communities." File photo of ICE agents waiting to detain a person in Silver Spring, Maryland, on January 27, 2025. File photo of ICE agents waiting to detain a person in Silver Spring, Maryland, on January 27, 2025. AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File What People Are Saying Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said in a statement to Newsweek following a CNN segment about ICEBlock on July 2: "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 percent 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. "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?" What Happens Next Feinstein has said that she is considering taking legal action against the DOJ for wrongful termination.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Daily Mail
DOJ staffer is fired after feds discover she's married to radical behind anti-ICE app
A Department of Justice employee has claimed she was fired when the feds discovered her husband developed an anti-ICE phone app. Carolyn Feinstein, who is married to ICEBlock developer Joshua Aaron, said she was unfairly removed from her post in 'retribution' against her partner's work. The ICEBlock app sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee. After Aaron was exposed online for creating the app, Feinstein said she was terminated from her post as a forensic accountant after almost a decade working for the DoJ. 'This was retribution. I was fired because of the actions, or activism, of my husband,' Texas -based Feinstein told the Daily Beast on Monday. 'It is insulting to me because I dedicated myself and my career to serving the people of the United States, and now the DOJ is claiming I was attempting to harm some of them. And that's not true.' Feinstein, who specializes in bankruptcy fraud, said she felt 'targeted' because of her husband's app, which has been downloaded almost one million times. Aaron had not been hiding his role in creating the app - he spoke with CNN in June explaining how the app works, and faced fierce criticism from MAGA fans afterward. The ICEBlock app (pictured above) sets out warning signals to users when ICE agents are within a five-mile radius of their location, allowing targets to flee federal agents 'When I saw what was happening in this country, I wanted to do something to fight back,' Aaron told CNN. He went on to compare the Trump administration's immigration crackdown to purges carried out by the Nazi regime in 1930's Germany. 'We're literally watching history repeat itself,' he said. The interview prompted a flood of MAGA rage online, while Trump administration officials like border tsar Tom Homan and ICE acting director Tom Lyon called on the DoJ to investigate the matter. 'We will not be intimidated. We will not be deterred,' Aaron told The Daily Beast at the time. 'As long as ICE agents have quotas, and this administration ignores people's Constitutional rights, we will continue fighting back. No human is illegal.' Feinstein said she responded by telling her bosses about her relationship with Aaron. 'Since we live in the same house, I thought it was pertinent to contact my employer, the DOJ, to notify them of death threats that were coming in and just in case I needed to be out of the office, so they would be prepared,' she told the Daily Beast. Feinstein was then contacted by officials who asked her about her association with the ICEBlock app. 'I informed them in so many words that I really didn't have any relationship or involvement in the app, I was married to the creator,' she said. But Homan said he had contacted the DoJ airing concerns about the connection. He told NewsMax that 'all (Aaron is) doing is giving a heads up to criminals'. 'The DOJ's looking at it, and they need to throw some people in jail,' he said. Feinstein says she received her termination note 'within 24 hours' of Homan's Newsmax interview airing. A DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast the department had spent 'several weeks' investigating Feinstein's activities and discovered that she has interests in the company that holds the IP for the ICEBlock app. Feinstein argued that her minority shareholder status in All U Chart Inc is just a safety net so that 'if Joshua were incapacitated, or further, I have the ability to shut it down'. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers,' a DoJ spokesperson told the Daily Beast. They added that the department 'will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.'
The National
2 days ago
- Politics
- The National
ICEBlock developer's wife sacked from US government job
The wife of a developer who created ICEBlock, an app that allows people to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, has been fired from her US government job. Joshua Aaron, developer of ICEBlock told The National that his wife, who is an auditor, had nothing to do with the app that's, which has become a source of anger at the Trump White House. She was fired nonetheless. He told The National that Laura Loomer, a far-right activist well known for her controversial and xenophobic comments, posted information about his wife on X last week. 'I reviewed Carolyn's LinkedIn page, and she has been working for the DOJ (Department of Justice) since January 2021 when Joe Biden assumed office,' read just some of Ms Loomer's post. Mr Aaron said that Ms Loomer then passed along information about his wife, Carolyn Feinstein, to White House Border Czar Tom Homan, who told the right-wing news outlet Newsmax that he flagged the information to US Attorney General Pam Bondi. 'On Friday, my wife was fired from her position with the DOJ, Office of US Trustee,' he explained, adding that his wife was a forensic auditor in one of the DOJ's offices in Austin, Texas 'who loved her job and always had stellar annual performance reviews'. Mr Aaron said he's certain she was fired because of his development of ICEBlock, along with his activism related to undocumented immigrants. In a statement to The National, a DOJ spokesperson defended its actions in terminating Ms Feinstein. 'For several weeks, the Department of Justice inquired into this former employee's activities and discovered she has a sizable interest in All U Chart, Incorperated, the company that holds the IP for ICEBlock,' the spokesperson said. 'ICEBlock is an app that illegal aliens use to evade capture while endangering the lives of ICE officers by disclosing their location ... this DOJ will not tolerate threats against law enforcement or law enforcement officers.' In an interview with the blogger and podcaster Allison Gill, host of The Daily Beans, Ms Feinstein said that she was fired via email with no explanation. Mr Aaron said that contrary to speculation, his wife's job had absolutely nothing to do with immigration policy. 'She handled bankruptcy fraud and had nothing to do with ICEblock,' he reiterated. During an interview last week with Newsmax, the White House Border Czar acknowledged that he received information about the developer's wife. 'Laura Loomer sent that to me and I sent it to the DOJ, so we'll see where it goes,' Mr Homan said, adding that ICEBlock was also under investigation by the Justice Department as well. 'What he's doing is giving a heads up to criminals,' claimed Mr Homan, saying that the app puts ICE agents in danger. 'If it's not illegal, it should be,' he added. Meanwhile, ICEBlock has been downloaded more than a million times from Apple's iOS App Store. It continues to attract attention and a methodical rise in popularity as President Trump increases funding for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Critics say the agents arrest and deport people with little concern for their legal rights, including due process. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said Mr Aaron, who spoke with The National last week about the app. Mr Aaron lives in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials in an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data, relying on people to report ICE agents wherever they might be. The app also allows for users to describe the vehicles ICE might be using and their attire. When a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to other users nearby. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software could be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Despite the disclaimers, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has suggested that those promoting the app should face prosecution. 'We're working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them because what they're doing is actually encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activity operations,' she recently told a reporter. As for Mr Aaron, US Attorney General Pam Bondi recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into him'. Various legal precedents, however, have tended to protect those who report the potentially illegal actions of law enforcement. Mr Aaron is continuing to stand by the app, saying that there is nothing illegal about it. 'This app is to inform, not obstruct,' he said last week. Mr Aaron also accused ICE of having complete disregard for individual circumstances with their arrests, referring to college students being targeted for their decision to protest, mothers being separated from their children, or detainees not being given access to legal representation. 'That is not something I can abide and is the reason ICEBlock was created,' he continued, referring back to the rise of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany. 'We are literally watching history repeat itself.'
The National
7 days ago
- Politics
- The National
ICEBlock: app reports immigration agent sightings amid crackdowns by Trump administration
ICEBlock, an app that allows people to report sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, has been downloaded about one million times and has become the bane of US President Donald Trump's administration. While the app continues to gain popularity, Mr Trump has increased funding for ICE, whose mandate includes detaining and deporting undocumented immigrants. Critics say the agents arrest and deport people with little concern for their legal rights, including due process. 'When I saw what was happening in this country I knew I had to do something to fight back,' said ICEBlock app developer Joshua Aaron, who resides in Texas, a state with a large undocumented immigrant population. Mr Aaron, who is Jewish, told The National that he had decided to create the app after meeting Holocaust survivors and learning all about Adolf Hitler's rise to power in Nazi Germany. The app aims to alert users to the presence of ICE officials in an 8km radius. It is powered by crowdsourced data, relying on people to report ICE agents wherever they might be. The app also allows for users to describe the vehicles ICE might be using and their attire. Once a sighting is reported, push notifications are sent to other users nearby. It is ranked in the top 20 for downloads in the social networking section of Apple's App Store. The app is only available for iPhone. According to Mr Aaron, the privacy settings he deems necessary for ICEBlock are not yet possible on Android devices. Mr Aaron acknowledges criticism that the software could be misused, as the Trump administration has claimed violence against ICE agents is on the rise. 'Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only,' reads a disclaimer appearing throughout ICEBlock, with an added warning that the app should not be used 'for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement'. Despite the disclaimers, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has suggested that those promoting the app should face prosecution. 'We're working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute them because what they're doing is actually encouraging people to avoid law enforcement activity operations,' she recently told a reporter. As for Mr Aaron, US Attorney General Pam Bondi recently told Fox News that the Justice Department was 'looking into him'. 'He is giving a message to criminals where our federal officers are and he cannot do that,' she said, adding that Mr Aaron should 'watch out' and claiming that his app did not fall into the category of protected speech. Various legal precedents, however, have tended to protect those who report the potentially illegal actions of law enforcement. But Timothy Kneeland, a professor of history, politics and law at Nazareth University in upstate New York, said that the Trump White House could pursue several legal avenues that might create problems for the app. 'The government could invoke national security issues because ICE might be trying to apprehend a suspected terrorist,' he told The National, also acknowledging that many legal arguments could be made to defend the app, such as the right against self-incrimination. He also said the government might pursue the angle that ICEBlock enables obstruction of justice, which has led to jail time in the past. The developer, however, disagreed with how some are interpreting his software. 'This app is to inform not obstruct,' said Mr Aaron. 'They can continue to demonise me and the app all they want, but nothing about it is illegal.' He added that if ICE officials are abiding by the US Constitution in how they go about their work, there should be no reason for the White House to fear people knowing their whereabouts. Mr Aaron also accused ICE of having complete disregard for individual circumstances with their arrests, referring to college students being targeted for their decision to protest, mothers being separated from their children, or detainees not being given access to legal representation. 'That is not something I can abide and is the reason ICEBlock was created,' he continued, referring back to the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany. 'We are literally watching history repeat itself.'
