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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and frighten every person in this country".

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an ICE action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene depict the producer being forced to the ground by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a news release released by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the statement adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began filming the event and inquired her her name."

The statement indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would inform her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers said.

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her legal team, Brockman was held in government detention for about seven hours before being released.

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she plans to pursue all legal options open to her to uphold her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, added in the statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are snatching American nationals off the street as they travel to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who choose to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "No one should be treated like that in this city, in this nation or anywhere else in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from the media.