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Attorneys acting for a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week describe the incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify each individual in this country".

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the scene show Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a vehicle.

At the moment, a homeland security official claimed that the individual "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a statement released by attorneys representing Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives disputed the government's account. They declared they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys say that at the moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement continues. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began filming the event and inquired her her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Consequences and Legal Action

According to her legal team, the journalist was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been charged with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "If armed, covered, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was taken to the ground, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down revealing her bare buttocks," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this nation or anywhere else in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.