Overview
- The student group’s Instagram post included an illustration of a masked gunman facing a kneeling man with the caption, "Only traitors help invaders."
- The post also labeled Alex Pretti and Renée Good as having "voided their liberties" after they were fatally shot by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.
- Illini Republicans said the post was intended to show support for ICE, asserted it did not advocate violence, and removed the image to prevent misinterpretation without admitting wrongdoing.
- A university spokesperson condemned rhetoric that appears to glorify violence but said the school cannot punish the viewpoint or content of protected speech, noting registered groups must follow campus policies.
- The Friday post drew heavy criticism from students and triggered a complaint to the Title VI Office, as the controversy unfolds against the backdrop of intensified Minneapolis enforcement and disputed official accounts captured on video.