Re: DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin’s January 27, 2026 Statement
CHICAGO – On January 21, 2026, the Brookfield Police Department charged off-duty ICE agent Adam Saracco with Class A misdemeanor battery for throwing 68-year-old attorney and former Air Force pilot, Robert Held, to the ground and attempting to steal his phone. The Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office recommended criminal charges. Saracco is scheduled to appear in court in March.
“This is what accountability looks like,” Held said of the charges.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin issued a statement calling those charges “gross” and claiming Saracco “acted to protect himself” from a “direct threat.” She described Held as a “known ICE agitator” who “stalked” Saracco and attempted to “dox” him by filming his license plate.
“Every word of that is a lie,” Held said about McLaughlin’s statement. “I didn’t stalk anyone. What she calls ‘malicious rhetoric,’ I call documentation. What she calls ‘agitation,’ I call accountability. What she calls a ‘threat,’ a local police department and prosecutor call battery. McLaughlin knows the difference. She’s lying.”
On December 27, 2025, Held was standing on a public sidewalk filming Saracco when the officer charged across the parking lot, tackled him to the ground, and tried to rip his phone from his hands. Held called 911 immediately. Brookfield police responded, interviewed witnesses, and reviewed video evidence before bringing charges.
“I was not a threat to Saracco,” Held said. “I have an artificial hip and was calmly standing with a camera on a sidewalk. He is a federal agent who tried to silence me with violence.”
Held says his message to other legal observers is that, “Your right to record ICE in public is settled law. Your right to stand on a sidewalk with a camera is not a crime, no matter how many times Tricia McLaughlin says otherwise. I will not be silenced.”
Robert Held, JD, MBA, is a former U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, a member of the Board of Governors for the Chicago Council of Lawyers, and an attorney with 30 years of experience. Since ICE launched Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago, Held has been a staple at protests in support of civil rights.