Illinois officials have issued a warning to federal immigration agents that tampering with or swapping license plates is against state law and will not be tolerated.
On Wednesday, the Illinois secretary of state, Alexi Giannoulias, unveiled a new initiative called the “Plate Watch” hotline, encouraging residents to report cases in which law enforcement vehicles appear to be using invalid or altered plates to evade identification during federal immigration raids.
In a video statement online, Giannoulias pointed to a viral video in which a federal immigration officer can be seen telling a protester next to his car that he can record him all he wants since “we change the plates out everyday”.
“I have a big problem with that … Swapping out Illinois license plates on Illinois-registered vehicles is illegal and as secretary of state, I have zero tolerance for this type of illegal activity. We are investigating these allegations as we speak,” 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.
Under Illinois state law, penalties for displaying an unauthorized license plate, obscuring or modifying license plates in any way include fines and potential jail time. The Illinois secretary of state’s office also has the authority to suspend or revoke the vehicle’s license plates in such instances.
Additionally, Illinois-registered vehicles must display license plates in both the front and the back. Vehicles registered in other states may only require a rear license plate and all vehicles driving on Illinois roads must have proper licensing in accordance with laws of their state, the Illinois secretary of state’s office said.
Earlier this month, a US district judge ordered federal immigration officers in the Chicago area to wear body cameras following repeated deployments of pepper balls, smoke grenades and teargas against protesters and even local police.
As the Trump administration ramps up federal immigration raids – drawing widespread opposition from the public, Democratic lawmakers and civil rights groups, several states are moving to block immigration officers from hiding their identities. The push follows instances of agents using unmarked vehicles to detain people on the streets without identifying themselves or presenting warrants.
In September, California passed a bill to ban masks for most law enforcement officers from concealing their faces while carrying out their operations.
Earlier this summer, Democratic senators introduced legislation that would require federal immigration officers to visibly display their agency name and either their own name or badge number, ensuring that tactical gear or clothing does not obscure it. The bill would also ban non-medical face coverings that conceal an officer’s identity.
The Guardian has reached out to the homeland security department for comment.
