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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week characterize the event as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this nation".

Details of the Arrest

The journalist, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on the weekend by government officers during an ICE operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location show the producer being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest 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 filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the moment of the detainment, Brockman was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on a city street," the release adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began filming the incident and asked her her name."

The release indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her lawyers, the journalist was held in government detention for about seven hours before being released.

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "If equipped, masked, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who dare to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson said. "No one should be treated like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else 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 the media.