Derek Webb was in court on Tuesday and is due back in court on Wednesday.
The Lake County State's Attorney's Office says Webb posted signs that made threats against Latino and immigrant communities.
On one sign, there was an image of a shark with the word "ICE" drawn on top of it. Another showed what appeared to be an alien crudely drawn on top of images used for target practice with the word "MAGA" below it.
Those signs started showing up last month.
Even as residents took some down, others popped back up, the community told ABC7.
The arrest comes after residents gathered in Waukegan last month to speak out against the signs.