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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week characterize the incident as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and frighten every person in this country".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an ICE action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location depict Brockman being pushed down by officers before she is restrained and placed 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, WGN announced that their employee had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release released by attorneys representing the journalist on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the government's account. They declared 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 10 October.

Her attorneys explain that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any professional capacity as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "walking 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 forcibly held on a city street," the release adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the incident and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

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

Aftermath and Next Steps

Based on her legal team, Brockman was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being released.

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she plans to explore all legal avenues open to her to uphold her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement adds.

"One attorney, a legal representative, added in the statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared 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 lowered exposing her bare buttocks," Thomson stated. "No one should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this nation or any other place in the world."

Immigration authorities, the federal agency, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from the media.