Federal Charges Filed Against Indiana Man for Threatening ICE Officers
Recent immigration enforcement actions in the Chicago area have led to the arrest of Alexander Frances Jakeway, a 35-year-old man from Valparaiso, Indiana. Federal agents have charged Jakeway with transmitting online threats to kill Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers last week.
According to a criminal complaint unsealed in the Northern District of Indiana, Jakeway was arrested after Homeland Security Investigations’ Chicago office traced threatening social media posts to him. The posts, made under the Twitter username @heelest, included statements urging violence against ICE officers.
One tweet by Jakeway urged people to “shoot an ICE agent dead” and “actually kill these goons.” Another tweet referenced recent immigration actions in Chicago, stating, “Shoot on sight.” These posts were made on November 4, the same day federal immigration officers conducted operations targeting migrants with deportation orders in the Chicago region.
Investigators linked the threatening posts to Jakeway by cross-referencing his social media accounts, e-commerce listings, and a previous arrest record. They found connections between the @heelest Twitter account, a Shopify site selling T-shirts under the same name, and a Discogs music profile operated by an “Alex Jakeway” of Valparaiso.
Authorities also identified Jakeway through his Facebook account, which confirmed his online handle as “@heelest.” Comparisons of photos from Jakeway’s Facebook account with a previous mugshot led investigators to conclude that the images were visually similar.
Jakeway has been charged with transmitting threats to injure another person via interstate communications. His Twitter account has been suspended for violating platform rules, but his other social media accounts and online t-shirt shop remain active.
The increase in ICE operations in Chicago has led to heightened online backlash and hostility towards federal agents. This surge in online threats has prompted increased digital monitoring by Homeland Security Investigations in response to the uptick in online hostility towards ICE officers.
