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Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the event as "something that should concern and frighten each individual in this country".

Particulars of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene show the producer being pushed down by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a vehicle.

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

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

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release released by lawyers representing Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any official role as an employee for the station" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"The individual, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the statement continues. "As this happened, individuals on the street began recording the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, 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 said.

Aftermath and Legal Action

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

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal options open to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement adds.

"One attorney, a legal representative, commented in the release: "When equipped, covered, federal agents are taking American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was taken to the ground, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this city, in this nation or any other place in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.