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

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on the weekend by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location depict the producer being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and put in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "hurled items at border patrol's car" 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 filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by lawyers representing the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

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

"The individual, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue," the release adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began filming the event and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

The statement says that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at WGN, 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 lawyers stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

According to her lawyers, the journalist was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal options open to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "If armed, masked, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, struck, restrained, and her pants were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from news outlets.