ICE officer charged with attacking immigrant rights activist in Chicago suburb

Adam Saracco, who was off duty, was charged with a misdemeanor count of battery in connection with the Dec. 27 attack at a gas station in Brookfield, according to officials and the alleged victim of the attack.

By Sophie Sherry and Tom Schuba Jan 23, 2026, 9:45pm EST

An off-duty Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer was charged with attacking a protester last month at a gas station in west suburban Brookfield, according to officials and the alleged victim of the attack.

Robert Held, 68, said he followed ICE Officer Adam Saracco from the parking lot of the suburban Broadview ICE facility and was filming as Saracco stopped for gas. Held said he was standing on the sidewalk when the ICE officer started walking toward him.

“He increased his pace, and he came upon me, and he threw me to the ground, and he tried to take my phone,” Held said in an interview. “What came out of my mouth was, ‘Calm down, you need to deescalate.’”

Held said people nearby began honking their car horns, and Saracco eventually let him go.

The officer was charged with a misdemeanor count of battery in connection with the Dec. 27 attack at a gas station in the 9200 block of East 31st Street, according to Brookfield police and Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke’s office.

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