ICE Agents Continue to Illegally Obscure Their License Plates in Illinois

The Illinois Attorney General and the City of Chicago sued ICE and CBP over their illegal activities. Trump's Gestapo continues to break our laws anyway.

There’s so much fascism in America that it’s hard to keep track of everything. Continued acts of violence by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents serve as a reminder of how far our country has fallen.

How do we know that what ICE is doing is both immoral and illegal? They’re wearing masks. They’re kidnapping our community members at random hours in plain clothes. They’re obscuring their license plates. They’re doing all of this because they know they’re guilty.

This week, in a Chicago suburb, an ICE agent assaulted a teenager who filmed his vehicle. When the teen pointed out that the car illegally lacked a license plate, the agent repeatedly screamed “get away” while reaching for his taser or gun. At one point, he came so close he stepped on the teen, causing him to nearly fall over. This is one of many, many instances where ICE broke the law while conducting acts of fascism.

Let’s Address This, Illinois.

This ICE agent charged at and assaulted a teen who recorded him and his vehicle in the Chicago suburbs this week.

This isn’t the first time an ICE agent has charged a person, and it’s not the first time they’ve illegally obscured their license plates. They’ve been doing it since they launched “Operation Midway Blitz” and began to kidnap our neighbors last fall. They’ve obscured, removed, and swapped plates, because they’re afraid of the day they face justice for their crimes.

In October 2025, Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning to ICE that altering or swapping license plates is illegal in Illinois. Illinois also launched a “Plate Watch Hotline” for residents to report suspected plate tampering.

On January 12, 2026, the City of Chicago and Giannoulias joined Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul in a lawsuit against ICE, US Customs and Border Patrol (CBP), the Department of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, agent Gregory Bovino, and other high ranking officials in Trump’s fascist regime. The lawsuit alleged that federal agents engaged in unlawful activities, including plate swapping and license plate alterations, which they most certainly did.

There was a much bigger part to the lawsuit, which will play a significant role in our future. The filing asserts that the state of Illinois possesses a right to enforce its own laws and protect public safety against unlawful federal conduct within its borders. If Illinois loses this argument in court, it could prove catastrophic.

Did the Secretary of State’s warning or the lawsuit slow ICE down or make them think twice? As far as we can tell, it did not. I’ve personally seen their obscured license plates while protesting at Broadview Detention Center (concentration camp) in the spring of 2026. As we’ve seen this past week, they grow bolder by the day.

Classic ICE fascism. This is a screengrab from the teen’s recording of an ICE agent’s vehicle this week.

The teenager who filmed ICE the other day was a US citizen. The ICE vehicle was parked in a public parking lot, so filming it was not illegal. The ICE agent, however, immediately lost his mind and charged the teen. When the teen did as he was told and backed away, the agent continued to charge.

Let’s be clear: filming government officials performing their duties, in a public place, is protected under the First Amendment to the US Constitution. That protection doesn’t disappear because a government official doesn’t like it.

On the other hand, an officer cannot use physical force because someone is filming them. That is against the law, because it’s a violation of that person’s constitutional rights.

Reflection of ICE agent Jonathan Ross on the rear bodywork of Renee Nicole Good's car with his phone in his right hand. Before he murdered Good, Ross switched the phone to his left hand.

Can Illinois fight back against ICE and protect our residents?

ICE agents have murdered many Americans in cold blood, including Keith Porter, Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. Countless more people have died in ICE concentration camps, across the United States.

It’s time our elected officials stood up for us. It’s time for them to do the job they were elected to do.

We cannot, however, put all our faith in them. We must all continue to fight back against fascism and oligarchy, in any way we can. It’s completely legal to record ICE, and you should record their illegal activities. If you can, I recommend you join a local ICE watch group - they’re always looking for new volunteers who are willing to help their communities.

Thank you for all you do in our fight for social, racial, and economic justice.

In solidarity and in service,

Dylan Blaha
State Director, Let’s Address Illinois
Veteran · Scientist · Organizer

Dylan Blaha is a pro peace US Army veteran, scientist, organizer, human rights activist, and the State Director of Let’s Address Illinois. Thank you for your support in our mission to build for a better future for working class Americans.