Tag: illinois

Illinois Teachers Union Reportedly Gave Peoria Public School Staff Cards Telling Them How to Document and Report ICE Agents, While Assisting Illegal Aliens

Every staff member at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois reportedly received cards from the Illinois Federation of Teachers union instructing them on how to document federal immigration agents and assist illegal aliens facing immigration enforcement.

Libs of TikTok posted an image of the cards on Thursday, writing, “A source tells me that all staff members at Peoria Public Schools in Illinois received these anti-ICE cards instructing them on how to dox ICE agents and assist illegal aliens.”

The account tagged DOJ Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Harmeet Dhillon, urging her to investigate the union immediately.

“Just imagine what they’re indoctrinating your kids with…” the post concluded.

The cards are labeled “Guidelines for Bystanders: Documenting Federal Agent Activity” and carry the Illinois Federation of Teachers logo.

One side uses the left’s SALUTE acronym to direct staff to record the size (number of agents), activity (including violence, physical force, property damage, or “hate speech”), location, unit details such as names, badges, and uniforms, the time and date, and equipment including weapons, vehicles, and license plates.

A QR code instructs users to scan and send the documentation to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights and the IFT.

The back of the card states that bystanders have the right to record federal agent encounters as long as they do not interfere with officers’ duties, and that they may remind a person being detained of constitutional rights such as the right to a judicial warrant, the right to remain silent, and the right to an attorney.

It includes a suggested statement to say, “I’m exercising my constitutional right to document. I’m not interfering.”

The card also lists refusals staff may make, including refusing a request to stop recording, to search or delete the recording without a judge’s warrant, or to unlock a phone or provide a passcode.

Neither Dhillon nor the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division had publicly responded to the post by Thursday evening.

Peoria Public Schools has maintained a “Safe Haven” resolution since 2017 that directs the district to refuse access to immigration officials seeking to enforce immigration laws except under certain unique and specified circumstances required by law.

In January 2025, after the Trump administration ended the prior policy limiting ICE activity at sensitive locations, then-Superintendent Sharon Desmoulin-Kherat sent a letter reaffirming the policy, stating the district has a legal duty to educate all children regardless of immigration status and that employees would direct any immigration officials to a designated safety director.

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Man Arrested For Sending Threatening Letters with White Substance to Members of Congress

An Illinois man was arrested for sending threatening letters with white substance to members of Congress.

Matthew Unglesbee was arrested and charged with false information, hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications.

Unglesbee sent four letters containing a white granular substance with his name and home address.

According to investigators, upon searching Unglesbee’s residence, they discovered a fifth letter containing a white substance.

Unglesbee told investigators the white substance was salt.

NBC News reported:

A man has been charged in Illinois with mailing four letters containing a white granular substance to members of Congress, all of which were sent in envelopes containing his name and home address.

Matthew Unglesbee has been charged with sending threatening letters containing a white granular substance to three members of Congress, along with a handwritten letter that read “HA HA.” A fourth letter with a white granular substance included the note “HAH enjoy the gift.”

Unglesbee is facing two charges: false information and hoaxes, and mailing threatening communications. He will make an initial appearance in court on Monday afternoon.

In an interview with FBI personnel on Sunday, Unglesbee allegedly admitted that he mailed four letters to four members of Congress after hearing about other letters mailed earlier in the month. The FBI is separately investigating letters containing suspicious substances that were sent to members of Congress and elections officials in recent weeks.

Unglesbee admitted that he knew that people would perceive the letters as dangerous, the FBI says. He said in the FBI interview that the granular substance was salt, which he said “kind of looks like” anthrax. He denied involvement with prior mailings.

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Illinois Democrat Lawmaker and County Clerk Husband Remain in Office and on November Ballot Despite Federal Fraud and Obstruction Charges — Trial Delayed Until AFTER Election

An Illinois Democrat state lawmaker and her county clerk husband are heading into the November election while facing federal criminal charges tied to an alleged corruption scheme involving campaign kickbacks, taxpayer-funded grants, and efforts to obstruct an FBI investigation.

And here’s the kicker: Their federal trial has been postponed until December 7, more than a month AFTER Election Day!

Democrat State Rep. Carol Ammons of Urbana and her husband, Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons, were indicted by a federal grand jury on July 7, 2026. Both pleaded not guilty on July 16.

As The Gateway Pundit previously reported on July 9, 2026, the federal indictment against Carol and Aaron Ammons came just weeks after their daughter, Titianna Ammons, was separately indicted on federal wire fraud charges.

Despite the serious allegations, both remain in their elected positions and are seeking reelection in November.

Even more troubling, Aaron Ammons remains responsible for overseeing elections in Champaign County while facing charges that he attempted to obstruct a federal investigation involving his own family.

According to Capitol News Illinois reporting published by NPR Illinois, Carol Ammons faces a write-in challenge from Keith Smith, while her husband is running against Republican Alan Anderson.

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Illinois Taxpayers Appear to Be Footing the Bill for Billionaire Pritzker’s Weight Loss Drug

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker revealed to “CBS Mornings” that for the last two years he has been using a GLP-1 medication to lose weight.

In a CBS News interview broadcast Monday, Pritzker said he’s lost 80 pounds so far and he feels “a whole lot different and a whole lot better.”

“I’ve been overweight most of my life, really, since I was probably 7 or 8 years old,” Pritzker said.

Pritzker told the network a diabetes diagnosis two years ago pushed the change. A doctor recommended a GLP-1 and warned he might need treatment for life. Pritzker said he injects weekly, walks about four miles most mornings, and is off insulin.

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Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker Claims Democrats Have Ideas ‘People Really Want to Vote For’

Democrats have ideas “people really want to vote for,” Illinois Democrat Gov. JB Pritzker said during a press conference alongside Texas Democrats on Wednesday.

Speaking about the kickoff of the Republican Party’s midterm convention in Dallas, Texas, Pritzker joined Texas Democrats in their opposition press conference and took a question about the Democrat Party’s messaging, as a questioner noted that Democrats are “still not exactly resonating with voters.”

Pritzker claimed that voters are not “pulling a lever” for a party but for individual candidates.

“Well, when people go to the polling booth, they’re not pulling a lever for the Democratic Party or the Republican Party,” Pritzker replied. “They’re pulling a lever for [Texas state Rep.] Gene Wu. They’re pulling a lever for all the folks who are on the ballot here in Texas and across the country.”

“And it’s Democrats that have the ideas that people really want to vote for,” he claimed. “We’re the ones who fight for affordability. We’re the ones who think the jam will be on the bottom shelf. We’re the ones who believe that everybody ought to have health care in this country. They’re trying to take health care away from people.”

Pritzker also accused Republicans of trying to “take food assistance away from people,” likely referring to efforts to eliminate junk food items as eligible choices for SNAP spending and weed out fraud in SNAP and other government programs. As Breitbart News reported, billions of dollars worth of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) payments, for example, were going to people who were not eligible for them.

The Democrat TDS governor continued, “They’re trying to take food assistance away from people. They’re succeeding in a lot of cases.”

“They’re attacking people in our streets, in our American cities,” he said, likely referring to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) taking criminal illegal aliens off the streets.

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Pritzker Signs Law Making Devices Report Every User’s Age Bracket to Apps

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker has signed the Children’s Social Media Safety Act, a law that takes the age check off individual websites and builds it into the device.

We obtained a copy of the law for you here.

It gives the state a say in what time minors are allowed to receive notifications. It’s also similar to what California is up to and also to what some senators want to extend nationwide. Starting in 2028, House Bill 5511 requires internet-enabled devices, operating systems and app stores to ask for the primary user’s birth date or age during account setup. The device then tells websites, apps, and online services which bracket that user falls into, whether under 13, 13 to 15, 16 to 17, or 18 and older.

Covered services must use the bracket to set default protections for users under 18. Algorithmic feeds are off for minors without “verifiable parental consent,” and their feeds can show only content they search for, posts from accounts they follow, and direct messages.

Feed notifications are blocked between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., precise location data is shielded, and minors need parental sign-off for what the bill calls “gifted currency” exchanges.

The governor’s office says the law reaches Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, Snapchat, X and gaming platforms like Roblox. Traditional news media, broadband providers, email services and learning management systems are exempt.

The age declaration happens once, at setup, and then follows the user everywhere. NetChoice testified that Section 10 “mandates that device manufacturers and operating system providers collect birth dates, ages and age bracket data from all users, and share that information with covered developers through digital signals.” All users include adults. An adult setting up a new phone in Illinois states an age so the operating system can vouch for it to any covered service, and the company that ships the operating system becomes the gatekeeper.

Lawmakers passed the bill unanimously and Pritzker made it one of his top priorities for the spring session. “Big social media companies have intentionally designed their platforms to keep kids online for as long as possible,” he said at the signing in Chicago. House sponsor Jennifer Gong-Gershowitz, D-Glenview, said attention spans are shrinking, depression rates are rising and kids are “sacrificing sleep to scroll long past when they should be asleep.”

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Arlington Heights Elderly Leftist Couple Pleads Guilty to Defacing GOP Headquarters with Swastikas and Feces on Charlie Kirk Poster — No Hate Crime Charges, Just $100 Fine

An elderly leftist couple in Arlington Heights, Illinois, charged with vandalizing the Republicans of Wheeling Township headquarters in January pleaded guilty to misdemeanor charges on Thursday.

Brock McNerney, a 72-year-old retired financial planner, and Moisette McNerney, a 69-year-old retired special education teacher, admitted to criminal damage to property and criminal defacement of property charges as part of a plea agreement.

The Gateway Pundit previously reported that on the night of January 25, 2026, surveillance video captured the pair drawing multiple swastikas and profanities in permanent marker across the windows of the ROWT office at 909 E. Rand Road.

They specifically targeted a portrait of slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk, born in Arlington Heights and a former volunteer at the local GOP office as a Wheeling High School student, defacing his image. The couple also tossed bags of feces and poured an unknown liquid near the front door.

This was no isolated act of random mischief. It came after earlier vandalism in December 2025 that included threatening and offensive messages scrawled into the brick outside the office, specifically and gleefully referencing Charlie Kirk’s wounds.

The January attack occurred right before the March primary. ROWT members installed cameras after the prior incident.

Despite the use of Nazi symbols against a political organization and the apparent effort to frighten Republican volunteers, the McNerneys were charged only with misdemeanors, not hate crimes.

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Flock-Powered Police Chiefs Stalking Women Shows Why Warrants Are Needed

While Flock claims its system tracks vehicles, not people, the documented record of police chiefs stalking ex-partners through Flock shows otherwise. When the most experienced, highest-ranking officers in law enforcement, the people most responsible for enforcing the rules, demonstrate ongoing abuses, the answer is the same courts have given for each generation of powerful tracking technology: require a warrant first.

The police chief of Holiday Hills, Illinois, and a part-time officer at Prairie Grove Police Department, was arrested June 18, 2026, and charged with two counts of official misconduct, a Class 3 felony.

Prosecutors alleged he used Prairie Grove’s Flock license plate reader system and the Illinois State Police LEADS database to track six people he knew personally.

Three of those people were women the chief had been in romantic relationships with, according to prosecutors at his arraignment. He also tracked an ex-boyfriend of one of those women, running that man’s plate 140 times over several months, a figure the protective order petition put at 178, with 86 of those searches conducted while off duty.

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HUGE WIN FOR AMERICANS: Federal Judge Strikes Down Illinois Laws Giving Illegal Aliens In-State Tuition, Financial Aid, and Scholarships — Deals Major Blow to Pritzker’s Sanctuary-State Agenda

A federal judge just delivered a crushing blow to Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and the state’s radical open-borders agenda.

U.S. District Judge David W. Dugan ruled Friday that multiple Illinois laws granting illegal aliens preferential access to in-state tuition, financial aid, and scholarship programs violate federal law and the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution.

The ruling marks a major victory for President Trump’s Justice Department, Illinois taxpayers, and American students forced to compete for limited educational resources while Springfield Democrats rolled out the red carpet for people living in the country illegally.

In his 27-page memorandum and order, Judge Dugan denied Illinois’ motion to dismiss the case and granted the federal government’s cross-motion for summary judgment in part.

The court declared the following provisions unconstitutional and invalid as applied to aliens who are not lawfully present in the United States:

  • Current in-state tuition provisions covering Illinois public universities
  • The Acevedo Act provision governing public community colleges
  • The Retention of Illinois Students and Equity Act, or RISE Act, including its 2025 amendments
  • The Illinois DREAM Act and its scholarship program

The judge permanently barred Illinois, Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul, state education agencies, and the named university and community-college boards from enforcing the challenged provisions for illegal aliens.

“Put simply, U.S. citizens or nationals must be treated no worse than illegal aliens,” Judge Dugan wrote.

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Federal appeals court upholds controversial Illinois ban on semiautomatic guns

A federal appeals court upheld a controversial Illinois gun control law that largely bans assault weapons.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit decision issued on Thursday slapped down a district court decision that declared the ban unconstitutional.

“Among other things, the Act criminalizes the manufacture, sale, delivery, purchase, and possession of assault weapons and large-capacity magazines. A grandfather clause permits preexisting lawful owners of the regulated items to continue possessing them,” the Thursday decision noted.

“For reasons that follow, we focus on the Act’s application to AR-15s and thirty-round rifle magazines. The Act’s restrictions on these items, we hold, are consistent with the principles that underpin our Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation. Whether to adopt them is thus a decision reposed in our elected representatives, and we reverse,” the decision declared.

Chief Judge Michael Brennan dissented from the panel’s decision.

“Our Nation’s enduring traditions forbid governments from prohibiting firearms commonly owned for self-defense. Because the people have overwhelmingly chosen the AR-15 rifle and its magazine as their weapon of choice, they are protected by the Second Amendment,” Brennan wrote.

“Illinois’s ban goes too far and should be enjoined as unconstitutional. I respectfully dissent,” he noted.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat who signed the controversial law in early 2023, hailed the court’s decision.

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