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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 event as "something that should alarm and frighten every person in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was taken into custody on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and put in a vehicle.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

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

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by lawyers representing Brockman on earlier this week, her representatives challenged the government's account. They declared they "adamantly deny 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 the date in question.

Her lawyers explain that at the moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any professional capacity as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the statement continues. "As this happened, individuals on the street began filming the incident and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

The release indicates that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys said.

Aftermath and Next Steps

Based on her legal team, the journalist was kept in government detention for about several hours before being freed.

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she plans to pursue all legal avenues open to her to uphold her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement adds.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, commented in the release: "When armed, covered, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who choose to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, struck, handcuffed, and her pants were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "No one should be handled like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

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