Illinois: DHS arrests protester with alleged ties to Antifa for carrying loaded gun at protests outside ICE facility

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Saturday that Elias Cepeda described as a “violent agitator” with alleged Antifa ties, was arrested Sept. 26 while carrying a loaded firearm and four magazines outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Broadview, Illinois. 

The incident occurred amid protests during Operation Midway Blitz, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) was responsible for seizing Cepeda's gun.

According to the official DHS release, Cepeda, identified through his LinkedIn account account, as a journalist and professor in the English Department at Northeastern Illinois University, posted social media content that compared ICE to Nazis and glorified violence against federal law enforcement.

“Elias Cepeda has suspected ties to the domestic terrorist organization ANTIFA and has a history of glorifying violence against—and the killing of—our brave law enforcement,” Under Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated in the release.

“Violent individuals like Cepeda are putting the public and our law enforcement’s lives in danger. Just two days after the horrific attack on ICE in Dallas, Cepeda brought a loaded gun and multiple magazines to our ICE Broadview facility. Thank God law enforcement intervened and arrested Cepeda before he could have potentially shot or killed anyone.”

The arrest occurred during a protest with hundreds of participants blocking access to the ICE processing center.

For their part, federal agents responded with pepper ammunition and tear gas, arresting at least two people that day, including Cepeda.