Professor at Northeastern Illinois University with suspected Antifa ties arrested with loaded gun at Chicago anti-ICE protest

Elias Cepeda was taken into custody on September 26 after federal agents found him carrying a loaded handgun and multiple rounds of ammunition outside the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Broadview. The facility has been the location of several violent demonstrations in recent weeks.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Cepeda brought the weapon to the protest as tensions escalated among demonstrators.

“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,” said Assistant Secretary of Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin.

“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 facility in Chicago,” McLaughlin continued. “Thank God law enforcement intervened and arrested Cepeda before he could have potentially shot or killed anyone."

"Let this serve as a stark warning to any individual who wishes to do our law enforcement harm or any ANTIFA terrorist: President Trump and Secretary Noem will fight every day to protect and defend the men and women who keep our country safe from violent extremists and criminal illegal aliens alike," she added.

Cepeda has previously made inflammatory and threatening posts on social media against ICE. In June, he compared ICE agents to Nazis in response to a DHS post about an arrest in Los Angeles, writing, “First of all, the video you just posted showed your Nazi asses are lying. Secondly, we'd all be morally justified in taking your Nazi heads off with weed whackers.”

In January, shortly after President Trump took office, Cepeda posted, “Now that ICE is showing up at elementary schools with weapons and no warrants attempting to terrorize kids I am in favor of teachers and staff being armed to protect children."

It remains unclear whether Cepeda will face charges. His arrest follows a separate case earlier this week in which a grand jury declined to indict two individuals accused of assaulting federal agents at the same ICE facility in Broadview while carrying loaded weapons.