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Legal representatives acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the incident as "something that should concern and frighten every person in this nation".

Particulars of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and WGN employee, was taken into custody on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location show the producer being forced to the ground by two agents before she is restrained and put in a vehicle.

At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station announced that their employee had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by lawyers representing Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers explain that at the time of the detainment, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on Foster Avenue," the release adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her lawyers, Brockman was held in government detention for about several hours before being released.

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she plans to pursue all legal options available to her to uphold her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the statement notes.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "If armed, covered, federal agents are snatching American nationals off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who choose to speak out against them."

"The journalist was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this nation or any other place in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.