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Attorneys representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and frighten every person in this country".

Particulars of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was taken into custody on Friday by government officers during an ICE action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location show Brockman being pushed down by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

At the time, a homeland security official stated that Brockman "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

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

Attorney's Response

In a news release issued by attorneys representing Brockman on earlier this week, her legal team challenged the government's account. They stated they "adamantly deny any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers explain that at the moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a American citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the event and asked her her name."

The release says that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at the station, 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 attorneys said.

Aftermath and Legal Action

According to her lawyers, the journalist was kept in government detention for about seven hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the release: "When armed, covered, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who choose to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down revealing her bare buttocks," the lawyer said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or anywhere else in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the federal agency, and the border agency did not immediately respond to inquiries from the media.