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Legal representatives acting for a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify every person in this nation".

Particulars of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by federal agents during an ICE operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the location show the producer being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and put in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that their employee had been freed from detention and that no charges had been pressed against her.

Attorney's Reaction

In a news release released by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any professional capacity as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on a city street," the statement continues. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired her her name."

The release indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "a person would notify her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

Based on her lawyers, Brockman was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she plans to pursue all legal avenues available to her to uphold her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the statement: "When armed, covered, federal agents are taking American nationals off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who choose to protest against them."

"The journalist was forced down, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "No one should be handled like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else in the globe."

ICE, the federal agency, and the border agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.