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, 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, tear gas against protestors 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.

Temperatures are expected to dip considerably overnight Wednesday and into Thursday, with a frost advisory in effect for swaths of the area.

According to the National Weather Service, that advisory will go into effect at midnight and run through mid-morning Thursday in DeKalb, LaSalle, Grundy and Kankakee counties.

Temperatures are expected to hover around the freezing mark in those counties, which could produce frost that could harm sensitive outdoor vegetation, according to the alert.

Residents are advised to cover sensitive plants, or to bring them indoors if possible.

Thursday is expected to be a mostly sunny day, but cool temperatures are still expected, with high temperatures in the low-to-mid 50s across the area, according to the NBC 5 Storm Team.

While temperatures are expected to remain above the freezing mark on Wednesday night and into Thursday in communities closer to Chicago, virtually the entire area could be at risk of frost Thursday night and into Friday, according to forecast models. Temperatures in outlying areas away from the urban heat island could even see lows in the upper-200s, which could result in a freeze, according to the National Weather Service.

Areas closer to Chicago could still see frost overnight into Friday morning before a small warming trend takes hold.

After another day in the low-to-mid 50s Friday, Saturday’s readings could be warmer, potentially approaching 60 degrees during the day. Conditions will still be on the cool side overnight, but lows will likely be in the upper-30s or low-40s, according to forecast models.

Late Sunday, a round of showers could arrive in the area and stick around until Monday morning, with the accompanying front potentially causing temps to drop back into the mid-to-upper 5s across the area. More rain could arrive Tuesday, and that system could stick around through Wednesday, producing rain and cloudy skies in the region.

While the Halloween forecast is still being evaluated, there is a chance readings could be in the upper-50s for trick-or-treaters, with partly-to-mostly cloudy skies in the forecast for the big night.

Stay tuned to the NBC 5 Storm Team for all the latest weather news and forecasts, and download the NBC Chicago app for real-time weather alerts sent directly to your phone.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Fifteen months after Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 for help, was killed in her home, the former police officer who fired the fatal shot is set to go on trial.

Sean Grayson, 31, a former deputy for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department in central Illinois, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder.

The trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday with opening statements. If convicted of murder, Grayson faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison. Prosecutors dismissed single counts of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.

On July 6, 2024, Massey, a 36-year-old single mother of two teenagers who struggled with mental health issues, called emergency responders over a suspected prowler. When Grayson, who is white, and another deputy entered her Springfield home to report finding no one, Grayson noticed a pan of hot water on the stove and ordered it removed.

According to body-camera video that is certain to play a key role in the trial, Grayson and Massey joked about how the deputy backed away as she moved the pan before Massey said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson later told sheriff’s investigators he thought Massey’s statement meant she intended to kill him, yelled at her to drop the pot and in the subsequent commotion, fired three shots, striking her just below the eye.

The incident has prompted continued questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes and generated a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.

A jury of 10 women and five men, including three alternates, will hear testimony that’s predicted to end next week. The questioning of prospective jurors on Monday by Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and defense attorney Daniel Fultz focused on attitudes toward law enforcement during a volatile time in America.

Witnesses scheduled to testify for both the state and defense are reported to be experts in police training, generally accepted police practices, use of force, body camera video, use of video in investigations and the review of incidents involving the use of force.

The national attention the case has garnered prompted Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the trial from Springfield to Peoria, 167 miles (269 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.