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Legal representatives acting for a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the event as "something that should concern and frighten every person in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the scene depict the producer being forced to the ground by officers before she is restrained and placed in a van.

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

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by lawyers acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her legal team challenged the official version. 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 explain 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 transit point as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was violently detained on Foster Avenue," the statement continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began filming the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement says that she told the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her workplace so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers said.

Aftermath and Legal Action

According to her lawyers, the journalist was kept in government detention for about seven hours before being freed.

"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 hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, added in the release: "When armed, covered, government officers are snatching American nationals off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to speak out against them."

"The journalist was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks," the lawyer said. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or any other place in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.