Newsome says alleged 'shadow network' tied to Aurora Mayor is a 'command center for coordinated activism'
In a series of online posts, conservative activist Terry Newsome says a "shadow network" involving Aurora Mayor John Laesch and other DuPage County left-wing figures coordinated responses to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in the region.
The claims, which originated in social media posts from Emily Cahill, Chair of the Will County Young Republicans, describe a tightly connected activist system allegedly used to track federal immigration enforcement, mobilize rapid responses and share real-time alerts across a 394-member encrypted channel.
“It's ironic how these people who are paid with our tax dollars, they're supposed to represent American citizens,” Newsome told DuPage Policy Journal.
“They're supposed to look out for the interest of Americans and citizens of the United States of America. And they're taking those dollars for their own political ideology and using them against our law enforcement and the protection of the citizens of America that they put a priority of political ideology over the laws of the United States of America.”
Newsome said the group includes elected officials, educators, activists and community organizers, and says screen recordings circulating on X show membership lists and profiles revealing a coordinated network operating behind the scenes.
“In the heart of Aurora, Illinois—a city grappling with rapid demographic shifts, crime concerns, and federal immigration enforcement—a private Signal group chat has emerged as a command center for coordinated activism,” Newsome said in one Facebook post.
Newsome cites past social media posts in which Laesch described tracking ICE agents during enforcement activity and claims the group discussed monitoring federal immigration operations under the name "Midway Blitz."
He also claims the group is “dubbed internally with ties to the Aurora Rapid Response Team (ARRT)” and describes it as “a ~394-member encrypted channel” that connects “local officials, educators, activists, and organizers in real-time alerts on ‘ICE sightings,’ protests, and rapid mobilizations.”
“Critics argue this functions less like neutral community support and more like an opposition intelligence and mobilization network against federal law enforcement—potentially at odds with public safety and rule of law in a city facing real challenges,” Newsome’s post reads.
According to Newsome, the videos circulating on X allegedly show “display names, profile pics, pronouns, statuses, and handles—revealing a tight-knit network operating behind the scenes.”
Newsome said others involved in the network include State Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D-Aurora), East Aurora School District 131 teacher Chris Hayes, Jim Gruman, a product manager at Protectoseal Company, Jose Luis “Pepe” Gutierrez, identified as a community activist and director at Casa Michoacan DuPage, and community organizer Eva Guillen.
He said alleged additional participants include Sheena Caballero, a corporate buyer at Core-Mark International in Naperville, Melissa Flores, a UIC student in finance and management described as having ties to the City of Aurora, and Kavita Adatia, a clinician at Linden Oaks Behavioral Health in Aurora with advanced professional credentials.
Newsome noted Laesch “openly bragged about tracking and following ICE agents,” quoting a post attributed to the mayor stating on Facebook, “ICE in Aurora today. Currently following them on I-88 Eastbound… I’ve followed the agent back to Broadview and lost him,” and “stay vigilant as there might be others in the area.”
“This is straight-up anti-American behavior: undermining our borders, harassing federal agents, and coordinating obstruction while the mayor himself brags about stalking ICE on I-88 all the way to Broadview Detention Center,” Newsome said in one post.
As scrutiny of Laesch has intensified, a grassroots group called Aurora for Change is seeking to place two referendum questions on the November ballot that would establish a recall process for Aurora's mayor and at-large aldermen.
Organizers of the potential recall effort say they are responding to concerns about Laesch’s leadership and cite controversies from his first year in office, including his public tracking of ICE agents, inflammatory rhetoric toward federal agents and policy decisions that have drawn criticism from residents and political opponents.
In May, State Rep. Adam Niemerg (R-Dieterich) called for Laesch’s resignation for his anti-ICE activism.
“It’s terrible to see elected officials do this to federal immigration authorities who are just out on the street trying to arrest violent illegal immigrants,” Niemerg told The Center Square. “They have to worry about elected officials posting their locations or getting in the way during an apprehension.”
In September 2025, Laesch faced criticism from local Republican leaders after keeping city flags at full staff following the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk, a decision that diverged from proclamations by President Donald Trump and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker ordering flags lowered to half-staff in Kirk’s honor.