AMERICAN IMMIGRATION COUNCIL • IRIS
Illinois Secretary of State Warns ICE Agents Against Plate Swapping and Establishes Plate Watch Hotline

Policy ID

IL-ADM-2025-10-22
State Response
Statewide
Administrative

Short Description

The Illinois Secretary of State issued a cease-and-desist letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reiterating the illegality of swapping or altering license plates, amid reports of agents doing both as part of immigration enforcement operations in the Chicago area. The Secretary of State also created a Plate Watch Hotline for the public to report instances of license plate tampering, which will be investigated by the office.

Date Adopted

10/22/2025

Updates

The Secretary of State released a video and press release on June 30, 2026 amid increased ICE activity in the Chicago region, encouraging the public to submit instances of license plate tampering to the Plate Watch Hotline.

See Also

Illinois Governor Signs New Bill Package of Immigrant Protections

12/09/2025
Statewide
Legislative Action
IL

Illinois Governor Establishes Illinois Accountability Commission to Document Federal Misconduct

10/23/2025
Statewide
Executive Order
IL