The Illinois Secretary of State issued a warning to federal immigration agents about breaking state law after a viral video taken in Round Lake captured an agent admitting to license plate swapping.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning on Wednesday to federal agents that swapping or altering license plates is illegal and “will not be tolerated in Illinois.”
Giannoulias said he is asking for the public’s help and created a Plate Watch Hotline to allow people to report instances of license plate tampering.
He said that it is illegal for anyone to switch or modify license plates on Illinois vehicles.
The warning comes amid reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol agents are flipping and modifying state-issued license plates on vehicles to carry out their immigration arrests.
A viral video circulating on social media, which was taken at the Walgreens at Cedar Lake Road and Rollins Road in Round Lake, captured an encounter with U.S. Border Patrol agents last week.
The agent can be heard telling the bystander filming the agent’s vehicle’s license plate that “You can record all you want. We change the plates out every day.”
“Swapping out license plates or tampering with them to avoid or conceal detection is illegal, unsafe and will not be tolerated in Illinois,” Giannoulias said.
“No one, including federal agents, is above the law, and we intend to hold them accountable, especially while driving on our roadways. This is a matter of public safety and protecting the wellbeing of our communities,” he added.
His office has established a hotline allowing residents to report plate violations, which the Illinois Secretary of State’s office will investigate.
Those who wish to make a report can call the Secretary of State’s Plate Watch Hotline at 312-814-1730 or email [email protected].
Penalties for displaying a plate on a vehicle for which it was not authorized for use or obscuring or modifying license plates in any way include fines and potential jail time under state law.
The Secretary of State’s office said they have the authority to suspend or revoke the vehicle’s license plates in such instances.
“Giannoulias also made clear that Illinois registered vehicles must have two license plates – front and back. And while vehicles registered in other states may only require a rear license plate, all vehicles driving on Illinois roads must have proper licensing in accordance with the laws of their state,” the office said in a statement.
The video was taken on Friday as the U.S. Border Patrol and other federal agents were seen in force conducting operations in central Lake County, making numerous arrests in the Round Lake area, Wauconda and Fox Lake.