ICE Agent Pleads Guilty to Battery Charge

An Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent admitted guilt on Wednesday to a misdemeanor battery charge. The charge stems from an incident where he threw a protester to the ground while being recorded on a phone. The agent, Adam Saracco, aged 41, entered his plea during a court session in Maywood, receiving a one-year supervision sentence.

Police body camera footage shows federal agent Saracco speaking with Brookfield police officers before facing the misdemeanor charge. The altercation occurred on December 27, 2025, when Saracco allegedly attacked a man who was filming him as he pumped gas. The man claims he was thrown to the ground during the incident.

Saracco is believed to be the first immigration agent charged in Cook County for conduct related to protesters and civilians during Operation Midway Blitz. At the time of the incident, Saracco was off duty. During the brief court hearing, Saracco appeared in person yet chose not to make a statement.

Advocates and community members have urged Cook County State’s Attorney Eileen O’Neill Burke to file charges against agents accused of misconduct during the aggressive immigration enforcement operation in the fall. However, Burke stated her office can only file charges related to on-duty incidents under specific circumstances, which must be referred by law enforcement.

This week, ten individuals, including Marimar Martinez, who was injured by a Border Patrol agent the previous year, submitted police reports seeking to prompt local investigations.

In Saracco’s case, charges were pursued by the Brookfield Police Department after an altercation at a gas station between Saracco and Robert Held, an attorney known for protesting at the local ICE processing center. Held reported being thrown to the ground after following Saracco from the facility.

Video evidence obtained by the Tribune via a public records request showed Saracco objecting to Held filming him. “I don’t want anybody sticking their camera in my face,” Saracco remarked on scene. “I tried to grab his phone.” Officers at the scene interacted with Saracco, Held, and other witnesses.

A witness described the incident to the police, stating she witnessed an older man being thrown to the ground and reacted by honking her horn and urging Saracco to release him.

Brookfield police initially sought a felony charge against Saracco. However, the state’s attorney’s office deemed the case more appropriate for a misdemeanor courtroom. Held had also called for a charge elevation, but the attorney’s office emphasized the need to prove every element of an alleged crime with consistent evidence evaluation.