The Illinois Secretary of State has put rental car companies and the government on notice and revoked a license plate after a viral video taken in Round Lake captured federal immigration agents admitting to license plate swapping.
Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias first issued a warning in October to federal agents that swapping or altering license plates is illegal and “will not be tolerated in Illinois.”
Giannoulias said he was 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 came amid reports that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Border Patrol agents were flipping and modifying state-issued license plates on vehicles to carry out their immigration arrests.
A viral video that circulated 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 in mid-October.
The agent can be heard telling the bystander filming the agent’s vehicle’s license plate, “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.
Giannoulias’ office sent a letter to rental car companies on October 24 reminding them that swapping or altering license plates is illegal and they can be held liable under Illinois law if their vehicles are used in the manner.
A cease-and-desist letter was issued to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to “make it clear” that all vehicles registered in Illinois, regardless of who is driving, must comply with state law.
The office also investigated and confirmed that ICE agents in Illinois switched plates on a vehicle, leading the state to revoke the license plate immediately. That vehicle, a 2026 Chevrolet Tahoe, was a rental from Enterprise.
“Display of this license plate on any vehicle while in operation is currently prohibited. Please remove this license plate from display on any such vehicle as soon as possible,” the state said in a letter to the rental car company.
“This is about public safety, transparency, and accountability,” Giannoulias said Thursday.
“No one is above the law. That’s why we’ve made it clear to federal agents and rental car companies that swapping out or altering license plates on vehicles to avoid detection will not be tolerated in Illinois,” Giannoulias said.
“Our job is to keep our roads safe for Illinoisans, and that’s why when our investigation found evidence of ICE agents switching license plates between vehicles, we immediately took action to revoke the plate, making it illegal to drive that vehicle. I encourage residents to continue reporting these activities to the Plate Watch Hotline,” he added.
A hotline was recently established allowing residents to report plate violations. 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.