An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent has been charged with misdemeanor battery following an off-duty confrontation with an activist who was filming him at a suburban Chicago gas station.
The incident occurred December 27 in Brookfield, where Chicago attorney Robert Held followed and recorded ICE agent Adam Saracco after Saracco finished his shift and stopped to refuel. Held has a history of involvement in anti-ICE protests and has previously been arrested during demonstrations against the agency.
According to Held, the encounter escalated quickly.
“He put the gas hose down and started briskly walking toward me,” Held told the Riverside-Brookfield Landmark. “When he got closer, he broke into a run. He put his hands on me, threw me to the ground, and tried to grab my phone. I’m 68, I have an artificial hip, and my strength and flexibility aren’t great. I used all my might to hold onto my phone.”
While portions of the interaction were recorded and later posted online, the physical altercation itself was not captured on video. The edited footage was shared on social media and concluded with a call for viewers to join the “resistance.”
CLICK THE IMAGE BELOW TO WATCH
T
Held later acknowledged that he did not know for certain whether the man he was filming actually worked for ICE. The Landmark reported that although Held referred to Saracco as an ICE agent in the video, he admitted he lacked confirmation of the man’s employer or agency at the time.
Saracco had just left work at a nearby immigration detention center.
According to The Hill, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office reviewed the case and declined to pursue felony charges, determining that the matter was more appropriately handled as a misdemeanor. Saracco cooperated with investigators and was charged, cited, and released on one count of misdemeanor battery. A court date has been scheduled.
The Department of Homeland Security has voiced strong support for Saracco.
“It is gross that our officer is facing charges for responding to a direct threat against his safety,” a DHS spokesperson said in a statement. “We stand firmly behind our officer.”
The spokesperson stated that Saracco had been “targeted and aggressively harassed by a known ICE agitator,” adding that while off duty and driving his personal vehicle, he was followed to the gas station. DHS said the activist filmed Saracco at close range and recorded his personal license plate, describing the behavior as an apparent attempt to dox the officer.
“Alone and without protective equipment, the officer acted to protect himself when confronted with this threatening behavior,” the statement concluded.