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Legal representatives acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week characterize the event as "something that should alarm and frighten each individual in this country".

Particulars of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a vehicle.

At the moment, a homeland security official claimed that the individual "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained 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.

Attorney's Response

In a news release issued by lawyers acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers say that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the statement continues. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began filming the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers said.

Aftermath and Legal Action

Based on her legal team, Brockman was held in government detention for about seven hours before being released.

"The individual has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal options open to her to uphold her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement adds.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "When armed, masked, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these agents must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to protest against them."

"The journalist was forced down, struck, restrained, and her trousers were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country or any other place in the world."

ICE, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from news outlets.