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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the event as "something that should concern and horrify every person 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 Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and put in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "hurled items at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Later on Friday, WGN confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by lawyers acting for Brockman on earlier this week, her representatives challenged the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her lawyers say that at the moment of the arrest, Brockman was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on a city street," the statement continues. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired her 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 colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers said.

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, the journalist was kept in federal custody for about seven hours before being released.

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

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "When equipped, masked, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who choose to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country or any other place 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 news outlets.