FIRST ON FOX: A Chicago area physical education teacher is on administrative leave and facing calls to lose his job over a Facebook post last week offering support for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

«GO ICE,» the teacher at West Chicago’s Gary Elementary School, posted on Facebook last week. Shortly after the post was made, activists in the predominantly Hispanic community quickly began sharing the post and calling for action to be taken against the teacher, who Fox News Digital is not naming due to safety concerns.

«Imagine working as a teacher in an elementary school in West Chicago where the Latino community is highly populated and promoting ICE, sick AF,» one social media post said. 

Another commenter called the teacher a «f****** piece of s***.»

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Activists began circulating a flyer online, with a Change.org petition, calling for the employee’s job and for students to stay home from school in protest, saying, «the casual way in which he publicly promoted the actions of ICE in our area is inappropriate and unsuitable for an educator.»

«The best way to show our district that we need action to be taken – is to show them that keeping this teacher will disrupt the emotional welfare and therefore, the education of our students,» the flyer said.

Fox News Digital could not independently locate the employee’s comment or the Facebook post that the employee was responding to and his account appears to have been deleted. The Change.org petition described the comment as being «in response to a community article.»

Local leaders also got involved, including Karina Villa, an Illinois state Senator representing the 25th District, who posted a message saying she stands in «unwavering solidarity» with families upset about the «disturbing comments reportedly made by an educator.» 

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An ICE agent is seen standing in front of a house in a residential area.  (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Villa went on to acknowledge that freedom of speech is a «protected right» but «as educators we have the responsibility to our students and their families to create a safe and welcoming environment for all.»

In an email sent to parents by the district’s superintendent, Kristina Davis, and obtained by Fox News Digital, the district explains that «the employee submitted a written resignation» on Friday before an investigation could take place, but the employee then withdrew that resignation before the board could approve it, therefore allowing him to come to work on Monday.

«The district has obtained legal counsel to conduct an investigation beginning on Monday,» Davis wrote. «The district will share additional information as appropriate. District 33 remains committed to providing safe, caring, and inclusive learning environments for all students. Thank you for your continued partnership.»

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Chicago, Illinois skyline. (iStock)

Fox News Digital reached out to West Chicago Elementary School District 33 for comment and specifics on what, if any rule, the teacher violated by posting support for law enforcement on Facebook.

The city of West Chicago held a «listening session» on Monday at the request of Mayor Daniel Bovey, that included a Spanish translator, where a variety of parents and locals expressed concerns about the post, including a woman who said «kids do not feel safe» as a result of the post and another woman who said the post was «cruel.»

On Monday afternoon, a district spokesperson confirmed to Fox News Digital that the teacher had been placed on leave after a Monday meeting. 

«On Thursday, January 22, 2026, the District learned of concerns regarding a disruptive social media comment made by a District employee on his personal account,» the statement said. «The teacher initially submitted his resignation. Later that day, he withdrew his resignation before the Board had an opportunity to take action.»

The statement continued, «Following a meeting with District administration today, the employee involved has been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation and will not be permitted on any District property while on leave.»

«We understand that this situation has raised concerns and caused disruption for students, families, and staff. We want to ensure our schools are safe spaces, and we look forward to seeing all students back in school tomorrow. Thank you for your patience, trust, and partnership during the ongoing investigation.»

The spokesperson did not respond when asked by Fox News Digital what specific policies the teacher had potentially violated by supporting law enforcement on Facebook. 

Russia criticized the U.S.’ proposed Golden Dome missile defense system Monday, warning it could destabilize global nuclear deterrence, according to reports.

According to TASS, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev told Kommersant newspaper that the ambitious project is extremely «provocative.»

«Problems in the strategic sphere resulting from destabilizing U.S. actions only continue to grow. It is enough to recall the highly provocative anti-missile project ‘Golden Dome for America,’» he said, TASS reported.

«It fundamentally contradicts the assertion of the inseparable interrelationship between offensive and defensive strategic arms, which, by the way, was enshrined in the preamble of New START,» Medvedev added, citing the treaty that protects U.S. national security by placing limits on Russia’s deployed intercontinental nuclear weapons.

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A defense expert says Russia’s reaction underscores the Golden Dome’s power as a geopolitical signal to the world.

«Even before it has been built, the dome is military focused and politically focused and an incredible bargaining chip with U.S. adversaries,» defense expert Cameron Chell told Fox News Digital.

«In this case, it is Russia and China in particular, in terms of how the U.S. postures for negotiating peace terms, treaty terms and whether the U.S. will be negating their already existing arsenal,» the Draganfly CEO claimed.

The Golden Dome is a long-term missile defense concept aimed at protecting North America from ballistic, cruise and hypersonic missile threats.

Chell spoke after the Pentagon released its National Defense Strategy on Jan. 23, outlining a renewed focus on homeland defense, expanded missile defense, counter-drone systems, cyber capabilities and long-range strike forces.

The planned Golden Dome missile defense shield is designed to defeat «large missile barrages and other advanced aerial attacks,» the strategy said, while also hardening military and key civilian infrastructure against cyber strikes as Russia and China continue expanding their hypersonic weapons programs.

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President Donald Trump announced his proposal for a «Golden Dome» missile defense system in the United States on May 20, 2025. (Leah Millis/Reuters/File Photo; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

As previously reported by Fox News Digital, China has also pushed back against the Golden Dome missile defense initiative, accusing Washington of undermining global strategic stability and risking the weaponization of outer space.

«There’s big value in the talk and the build-out of Golden Dome, even long before it gets built, not to mention the research and technology development that comes out of it,» Chell said.

«The posturing and the economic benefits of building something like this are also factored into why the dome is so important.»

The project’s sheer scale is expected to drive its strategic impact but could also come with an enormous price tag.

«The dome is going to take trillions to build and is the largest military project, probably the largest engineering and technology project ever attempted, so there are going to be challenges getting it done,» Chell explained.

«The U.S. has ten years of planning, including where they are going to have communication links, radar systems, and early warning systems.» That planning, Chell noted, is shifting focus north.

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The Golden Dome will need space-based radar capabilities. (Lockheed Martin )

«In order to protect the U.S., you want to take things down before they get over the top of the country,» Chell said.

«Places like Canada, or even further north, become the dropping ground. You want to get these threats as soon as possible.»

Canada and Greenland are viewed by U.S. defense planners as critical for radar coverage, space tracking and early-warning infrastructure.

«The idea is something being shot down from space, but to do that you need very detailed landscape data of the entire North and you need access to the North,» Chell said.

President Trump has long argued the U.S. must control Greenland for national security reasons, citing its strategic Arctic location and natural resources.

«There needs to be infrastructure and oversight in the far north, in Canada, in Greenland, and places like that,» Chell said. «All that planning has to be done well ahead of time, before we have anything operational.»

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Chell also pointed to the potential role of drones in supporting the Golden Dome’s broader mission.

«Drones could be part of informing the Golden Dome as reconnaissance, surveillance and intelligence tools,» he said, adding that the «entire military complex is integrated.»

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Department of War for comment.