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Attorneys acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the event as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this country".

Particulars of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location depict Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and put in a vehicle.

At the time, 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 announced that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been pressed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a news release released by lawyers representing the journalist on Tuesday, her representatives disputed the official version. They stated 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 lawyers say that at the time of the detainment, 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.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen native to the US, was violently detained on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this happened, individuals on the street began filming the incident and asked her her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers said.

Aftermath and Next Steps

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

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal avenues open to her to uphold her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the statement: "If equipped, covered, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were lowered revealing her bare buttocks," the lawyer said. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country or any other place in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the federal agency, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.