Noem Comments On Report About CNN

By
Rachel Stevenson
-
0
582

The White House is sounding the alarm—but not for the reasons you might expect. It’s not inflation. Not border security. Not even the latest scandal involving Hunter Biden.

This time, it’s CNN.

The network recently aired what it called a “tech innovation feature,” highlighting ICEBlock—a new app that alerts users in real time when federal immigration agents are nearby. In an era where assaults on law enforcement officers have risen by more than 500%, CNN chose to spotlight a tool that many are calling a digital roadmap for evading immigration enforcement—and potentially putting ICE agents in harm’s way.

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was quick to respond. Speaking to Daily Wire reporter Mary Margaret Olohan, Leavitt said she hadn’t seen the full segment, but based on what she’d heard, CNN’s decision to air it was unacceptable and amounted to, in her words, “an incitement of further violence.” She added that Americans—especially those living in cities plagued by illegal immigration—should be thanking ICE officers for removing public safety threats, not tracking them.

But the outrage didn’t stop there.

Shortly after the segment aired, South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem announced that her state is actively exploring legal action against CNN, accusing the network of reckless endangerment and irresponsibility. Noem didn’t mince words. She said this wasn’t journalism—it was enabling lawlessness and putting lives at risk.

CNN’s response? According to a network spokesperson, ICEBlock is publicly available and newsworthy, and CNN simply did its job by covering it. They added that ICE was contacted for comment prior to publication. But even ICE itself is pushing back. Acting director Todd Lyons told CNN on the record that the app “paints a target on federal law enforcement officers’ backs.” That isn’t an exaggeration. That’s the head of the agency saying the app is dangerous—plain and simple.

And it gets worse.

CNN didn’t just mention the app. They gave its creator, Joshua Aaron, a platform to explain his motives. During the interview, Aaron said he was inspired to build ICEBlock because he believes current U.S. deportation policies are comparable to Nazi Germany. That wasn’t a vague metaphor or some out-of-context slip. It was a direct and deliberate comparison. And CNN aired it.

Aaron claims ICEBlock includes safeguards—a five-minute delay between sightings and automatic data deletion every four hours. He even inserted a disclaimer saying users shouldn’t interfere with law enforcement. But in the same breath, he proudly promotes real-time alerts, anonymous tip submissions, and the idea of building a user-driven network to track agents actively doing their jobs. Whether or not he admits it, the intent is clear: to disrupt immigration enforcement and make it harder—and more dangerous—for ICE to operate.

So here we are. A mainstream news outlet has chosen to spotlight a tool that ICE itself says puts agents at risk. The app’s creator is comparing immigration enforcement to fascism. The White House has called the coverage dangerous. A state governor is threatening legal action. And CNN continues to call it “just reporting.”

But with every update, every press conference, and every social media reaction, one question keeps growing louder.

What happens when journalism stops informing the public—and starts enabling lawlessness?

And when that line is crossed, who pays the price?

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR