U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi issued a strong condemnation on Wednesday regarding a plan by Democrats to launch an online “master ICE tracker” designed to monitor and expose Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations across the Los Angeles area.
Bondi warned that the platform could endanger federal agents and expose them to harassment or violence.
Representative Robert Garcia (D-CA), alongside Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, announced the initiative on October 21. Garcia stated that the online database, which will be hosted on the House Oversight Committee website, will allow the public to submit and review reports, including videos and other data, of ICE activity.
He described the effort as part of a congressional investigation into alleged wrongful detentions and civil rights violations by ICE, citing a report that “at least 170 U.S. citizens” had been wrongly detained.
Bondi quickly criticized the plan in an Oct. 22 social media post, stating that Garcia and Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) “are trying to put ICE agents at risk just for doing their jobs.”
Border czar Tom Homan supported Bondi’s concern, claiming that “hateful rhetoric” and efforts to expose agents’ movements have correlated with a “surge in organized attacks” on law enforcement. Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin echoed this, saying assaults on ICE officers have risen by “more than 1,000 percent” amid “smears” from “sanctuary politicians,” while noting that the department “enforces federal immigration law without fear, favor, or prejudice.”
The DOJ under the previous administration has previously pressured tech companies to remove apps tracking ICE operations, with Apple deleting an app called ICEBlock earlier in October following a DOJ request over agent safety concerns.
DHS also reported that since June 6, ICE and Customs and Border Protection have arrested more than 7,100 illegal immigrants in the Los Angeles area. Garcia has defended the tracker, countering that wrongful detentions of U.S. citizens are not “just doing their jobs.”
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