A federal judge has granted a preliminary injunction against the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice, ruling the government likely violated the First Amendment by coercing technology companies into removing tools that monitor Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. The case involves the "ICE Sightings - Chicagoland" Facebook group and the "Eyes Up" mobile app, which were removed by Meta and Apple, respectively, in October 2025 following pressure from Trump administration officials.
U.S. District Judge Jorge Luis Alonso found that government officials demanded the takedowns, rather than merely requesting them, accompanied by thinly-veiled threats of prosecution. The court stated that the plaintiffs are likely to succeed in their claim that the government unconstitutionally coerced the platforms to censor protected speech. The injunction prevents the government from continuing to compel the companies to suppress the app and group, allowing the platforms to make their own content decisions.