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Attorneys acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the event as "something that should concern and frighten every person in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the scene show Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and put in a vehicle.

At the moment, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

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

Legal Team's Reaction

In a statement issued by attorneys representing the journalist on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the government's account. They declared they "strongly refute any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys explain that at the time of the detainment, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on a city street," the release adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began recording the event and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

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

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, the journalist was held in government detention for about several hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to uphold her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the release notes.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "If armed, masked, government officers are taking American nationals off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were lowered revealing her bare buttocks," Thomson said. "No one should be handled like that in this city, in this nation or any other place in the globe."

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to inquiries from the media.