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Attorneys acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week characterize the incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and frighten each individual in this country".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by government officers during an ICE operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location depict Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement released by attorneys representing Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They stated they "adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted 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 explain that at the moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any official role as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the release continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers said.

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, Brockman was kept in government detention for about several hours before being released.

"She has not been accused with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "When equipped, covered, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who choose to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or anywhere else in the world."

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