Attorney General Pam Bondi warns ICEBlock app developer to 'watch out,' says DOJ is 'looking at him'

U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi criticized a CNN report highlighting an app that alerts users to nearby Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sightings and warned the developer to "watch out."

The app, ICEBlock, was created by Joshua Aaron, who said he wanted to "do something to fight back" against the Trump administration’s deportations of illegal immigrants, which he likens to being reminiscent of Nazi Germany.

Aaron told CNN that the app allows anonymous users to share where they’ve seen ICE agents. Users can also include additional details, such as the clothes agents are wearing or the cars they are driving.

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"Our ICE agents, all of our federal agents who are working hand in hand on these task force[s] — our federal agents from the Justice Department could be injured," Bondi said Monday on "Hannity."

"He's giving a message to criminals where our federal officers are. And he cannot do that. And we are looking at it, we are looking at him, and he better watch out, because that's not a protected speech. That is threatening the lives of our law enforcement officers throughout this country."

ICEBlock comes with a disclaimer, telling users not to interfere with the federal agency’s operations or to incite violence.

"Please note that the use of this app is for information and notification purposes only. It is not to be used for the purposes of inciting violence or interfering with law enforcement," the notification says, according to CNN.

News of the app and CNN’s coverage drew strong condemnation from the White House and top Trump administration officials, who say the app endangers federal officers by broadcasting their locations.

ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said ICE agents and officers are already facing a 500% increase in assaults as the administration’s deportation efforts ramp up.

Border czar Tom Homan told "The Will Cain Show" that the app only makes law enforcement’s job more dangerous.

"It’s simply disgusting and any network that covers that is disgusting as well," said Homan.

Bondi also criticized CNN for "promoting" the app, doubling down on her argument that it could endanger law enforcement officers.

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"Shame on them," she told Fox News host Sean Hannity.

A CNN spokesperson defended the network’s coverage and reporting, telling Fox News Digital in a statement: "CNN reported on a publicly available app, which is generating attention across the United States, and reached out to ICE for comment prior to publication. After CNN published its reporting, ICE posted a response, which is now included in the story."

Family of victim in Bryan Kohberger case say they were sent into 'panic mode' after plea deal

The family of Kaylee Goncalves — one of the victims of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger — said Monday they were sent "scrambling" and "jumped into panic mode" after Kohberger accepted a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.

Kohberger, 30, is accused of killing Goncalves, 21, Madison Mogen, 21, Xana Kernodle, 20, and Ethan Chapin, 20, in a 4 a.m. home invasion attack on Nov. 13, 2022.

Goncalves' 18-year-old sister, Aubrie, said she refuses to stay silent and reaffirmed her family support for the death penalty in this case. She said she was unable to attend the family's meeting with prosecutors in person to make her case.

She said what the victims' families have endured since the murders is "beyond comprehension," pointing to delays and the relocation of proceedings that made it harder for loved ones to attend. She argued that the justice system has placed "heavy burdens" on people "already carrying unimaginable grief" but that they have attempted to hold on to hope.

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"We’ve believed in the process. We’ve had faith in the system. But at this point, it is impossible not to acknowledge the truth: the system has failed these four innocent victims and their families," Aubrie wrote on the family's Facebook page.

"These are not just names or headlines. Ethan Chapin, Kaylee Goncalves, Madison Mogen, and Xana Kernodle were beautiful human beings who touched countless lives," she continued. "They are not just 'The Idaho Four.' They were sons, daughters, siblings, and friends—real people with real dreams. They deserve to be remembered for who they were in life, not only for the tragedy of their deaths. But before that can truly happen, they deserve justice. Nothing less."

The introduction of the plea deal weeks before the scheduled trial is "both shocking and cruel," she said, adding that the families could have had time to "process, discuss and potentially come to terms with the idea of a life sentence" if it had come sooner.

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"Bryan Kohberger facing a life in prison means he would still get to speak, form relationships, and engage with the world," she said. "Meanwhile, our loved ones have been silenced forever. That reality stings more deeply when it feels like the system is protecting his future more than honoring the victims’ pasts."

She said the justice system "was created to serve and protect—not to retraumatize grieving families," adding: "time and time again, we find ourselves blindsided, unheard, and unsupported."

"This last-minute plea deal feels less like an act of justice and more like an afterthought," she said. "We are not asking for vengeance. We are asking for accountability. We are asking for dignity for our loved ones. And we are asking—pleading—for a justice system that truly lives up to its name."

The family said in another post that they vaguely spoke to prosecutors Friday about the possibility of a plea deal but that it was a "hard no" for them. They said the majority of the conversation was about the upcoming trial and nothing prepared them for the next steps.

They said they received an email Sunday night that sent them "scrambling" and they "immediately jumped into panic mode and started making phone calls and sending emails."

The family met with the prosecution again on Monday to reiterate their support for Kohberger receiving the death penalty.

"Unfortunately all of our efforts did not matter," the family said. "We DID OUR BEST! We fought harder than anyone could EVER imagine."

The four victims had all been stabbed multiple times with a large knife, according to prosecutors. Police recovered a Ka-Bar sheath that they allege had Kohberger's DNA on it near Mogen's body.

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.

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