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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 incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify each individual in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an ICE operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the moment, a homeland security official claimed that Brockman "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station announced that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Attorney's Reaction

In a statement released by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the government's account. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys explain that at the moment of the detainment, Brockman was "not acting in any official role as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the release adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began filming the incident and asked her her name."

The release says that she told the bystanders her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

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

"She has not been accused with any crimes and she plans to pursue all legal options open to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are taking American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to protest against them."

"The journalist was forced down, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this city, in this country or any other place in the world."

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