An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent, Adam Saracco, 41, pleaded guilty to misdemeanor battery after an incident involving a protester. The confrontation occurred while Saracco was off duty, and he was sentenced to one year of supervision. The incident took place at a gas station in Brookfield on December 27, 2025.
According to police reports, Saracco was approached by Robert Held, a local attorney and frequent protester at the ICE processing center in Broadview. Held claimed that Saracco threw him to the ground while being filmed on a phone. Held had followed Saracco from the processing facility, leading to the altercation.
Images from police body cameras show Saracco speaking with Brookfield police before battery charges were pursued. Saracco is reportedly the first immigration agent in Cook County to be charged concerning his conduct with protesters and civilians during Operation Midway Blitz.
Saracco appeared in court in Maywood for a brief hearing, where he declined to make any statements. The Brookfield Police Department initiated the charges after responding to the confrontation between Saracco and Held.
“I don’t want anybody sticking their camera in my face. I don’t know what he’s trying to do with this,” Saracco said at the scene, based on police body camera footage.
Witnesses at the scene provided testimony, including a woman who reported seeing an “old man being tackled to the ground” and honking her horn to draw attention.
Initially, Brookfield police sought felony charges against Saracco, but the Cook County state’s attorney’s office deemed the case more appropriate for misdemeanor court. Despite calls from Held and others to upgrade the charges, the state’s attorney’s office stated that they assess evidence consistently to ensure equal treatment and adhere to legal standards.
Meanwhile, efforts continue from community members and advocates urging Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to charge agents for alleged misconduct during immigration enforcement activities. However, Burke highlighted that her office can only file charges for on-duty incidents under specific conditions.
10 individuals, including Marimar Martinez, who was previously injured by enforcement operations, have filed police reports to prompt local investigations.