University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: Student Group Faces Title VI Review for Social Media Post Supporting ICE

On January 31, 2026, the Illini Republicans, a registered student group at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, posted a message in support of federal immigration enforcement agencies on Instagram. The post originally included a graphic depicting a masked agent in body armor holding a gun to the head of a kneeling or stumbling man, with the caption, “Only Traitors Help Invaders.” A UIUC spokesman condemned the “rhetoric or imagery that appears to glorify violence or demean individuals or groups based on identity or beliefs,” and said the matter had been reported to the Title VI Office for review. 

On February 4, FIRE wrote UIUC urging it to cease any further review or investigation of the Illini Republicans’ social media post because it was political advocacy protected by the First Amendment.