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Attorneys acting for a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week characterize the incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify every person in this country".

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and put in a van.

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

Later on Friday, the television station announced that their employee had been freed from detention and that no charges had been filed against her.

Attorney's Reaction

In a statement issued by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives disputed the official version. They declared they "strongly refute any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her lawyers explain that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity 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 attacked by federal officers.

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

The release says that she informed the onlookers her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her lawyers, Brockman was held in government detention for about several hours before being freed.

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she plans to explore all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement notes.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the statement: "When equipped, covered, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this country or any other place in the globe."

ICE, the federal agency, and the border agency did not immediately respond to inquiries from the media.