BUZZ
Teacher’s remark ‘extremely hurtful and offensive,” says mayor
A West Chicago elementary school teacher’s two-word social media comment in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, has led to an investigation … and the wrath of the town’s mayor.
According to WLS, the (male) teacher simply wrote “Go ICE” on a page about “immigration activities.”
The teacher initially submitted his resignation, but rescinded it “before the [school] board had an opportunity to take action.” He nonetheless was placed on leave pending the investigation and is not permitted on district property in the interim.
On Monday, a crowd of roughly 100 “angry” community members showed up at the West Chicago City Council chambers to protest the teacher, which was supported by Mayor Daniel Bovey.
“We have kids in our school districts, in this school specifically, who have lost a mom or dad or family member within the last three months, Bovey said. “They’re going home wondering if they will ever see mom or dad again.”
In a video seemingly from his office, Bovey claims to have known the teacher for some time and “considers [him] a friend.” He says the teacher “seemed to understand” that he did something “wrong.”
While noting educators do have the First Amendment right to express political opinion(s), Bovey says the teacher’s comment was “extremely hurtful and offensive,” but claims “what makes [this comment] different” is that “multiple students” at the teacher’s school (allegedly) have “lost their mom or dad” as a result of ICE operations.
“We have students who go home fearful every night,” Bovey says in the video. “We have kids having panic attacks […] it’s extremely traumatic for these kids, so to have a teacher who is a person that they trust, who is the one who takes care of them […] to have that person cavalierly cheer on these events as if it’s a football game … is extremely hurtful and extremely offensive. And it’s wrong.”
BREAKING: Mayor of West Chicago Daniel Bovey SLAMS a teacher who made a post supporting ICE, says he spoke with the teacher to educate them on why it’s wrong to support ICE and personally called the district to pressure them to take action. He then encourages people to join a… pic.twitter.com/bTh2QsD8i2
— Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) January 27, 2026
Bovey goes on to ask the community to not, unlike ICE, “dehumanize” the teacher and to allow him due process. He adds that he’s spoken to the teacher’s principal and superintendent, both of whom noted they “want to get this right.”
(One activist at the town meeting had asked “Where is the due process for all the kids being kidnapped on the streets?”)
Throughout the video, Bovey uses the term “immigrant” sans “illegal” when discussing the ICE and the community, and asks for no protests at the teacher’s school.
Despite many anti-ICE protesters at the meeting claiming they “recognize the teacher’s First Amendment rights to free speech,” they said “their next step is to attend the next school board meeting [to] urge the board to take action against the teacher.”
MORE: Teacher suspended for tweets critical of illegal immigration
