A new lawsuit claims federal officials pressured Apple, Meta, and Google to suppress apps and online groups that document ICE activity, raising fresh First Amendment concerns.

On Wednesday, the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE) announced that it would sue Attorney General Pam Bondi and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem. The suit centers on First Amendment obstruction.

The filing alleges that the admins have sought to coerce big tech companies such as Apple, Google, and Meta into censoring apps and social media groups dedicated to monitoring and reporting ICE activity.

"As we've seen across the country, especially in Minneapolis, citizen videos have informed discussion and debate about ICE's operations and tactics," said FIRE attorney Colin McDonell.

The lawsuit asks the court to find that Bondi and Noem violated the First Amendment. It also seeks an injunction to prevent repeat conduct.

"The right to share information about our government is essential to a free society," FIRE said in a blog post about the suit. "If someone goes out and commits a crime, they can and should be punished for their actions. But in a free society, we don't punish protected speech."

Specifically, FIRE is representing Kae Rosado and Mark Hodges, who respectively created a Facebook group and an app dedicated to informing the public and holding the government accountable for its actions. Rosado started the group after seeing fear in her local community about the impact of ICE raids in Chicago.

Hodges created "Eyes Up," an app that allowed users to share and view videos of ICE activity nationwide. Hodges and his moderators review and approve each video manually.

Political activist Laura Loomer tagged both Noem and Bondi in a post on X, saying Rosado's group was "getting people killed," which it was not. Shortly after, Facebook removed the group, with Bondi claiming credit for the removal.

Around the same time, Bondi had directly reached out to Apple and Google, demanding the companies remove ICE-critical apps like Eyes Up and ICEBlock.

Apple removed the apps and released a statement.

"Based on information we've received from law enforcement about the safety risks associated with ICEBlock, we have removed it and similar apps from the App Store," Apple said.

In early February, Rep. Jamie Raskin vowed to investigate DOJ over alleged pressure to remove ICE tracking apps. He called the effort a campaign of coercion and censorship aimed at silencing administration critics.