The Trump administration has opened the door to possible criminal proceedings against CNN after the network reported on ICEBlock, an iPhone application that crowdsources real-time sightings of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters on 1 July that she is “working with the Department of Justice to see if we can prosecute” the network for what she called the active encouragement of people to evade federal law-enforcement operations. Standing next to her at the inauguration of a migrant detention facility in Florida, President Donald Trump said the move was “OK with me,” adding that CNN could also face action for alleged inaccuracies in earlier coverage of U.S. strikes on Iran. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and Border Czar Tom Homan intensified the criticism, accusing the broadcaster of inciting violence against officers and warning that assaults on ICE personnel have risen 500% in recent years. ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons likewise argued that publicising the app “paints a target on federal law-enforcement officers’ backs.” No official cited a specific statute the network may have violated, and legal scholars note that press reports about publicly available software are generally protected by the First Amendment. ICEBlock, launched in April and now ranking among the top free downloads on Apple’s U.S. App Store, lets users anonymously drop a pin showing where they have seen ICE agents; notifications go to anyone within a five-mile radius, and entries expire after four hours. Developer Joshua Aaron said the platform had roughly 95,200 users as of 1 July and was designed as an “early-warning system” for people worried about deportation, not a tool to obstruct enforcement or promote violence. The app collects no personal data and restricts posts to a user’s immediate vicinity to limit hoaxes, he added. CNN defended its coverage, saying it merely reported on a publicly available application and did not endorse its use. The network, owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, called the administration’s threats “baseless” and noted that the U.S. Constitution protects the publication of such information. Apple declined to comment on whether the app violates its policies. Legal analysts expect any attempt to prosecute a news organisation over routine reporting to face significant constitutional hurdles.