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Attorneys representing a producer from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the event as "an occurrence that ought to concern and frighten every person in this country".

Details of the Arrest

The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the location depict Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and placed in a vehicle.

At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "detained for attacking an officer".

Later on Friday, WGN announced that Brockman had been freed from detention and that no charges had been filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a statement issued by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted 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 moment of the arrest, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

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

The release indicates that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers said.

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her legal team, the journalist was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being released.

"The individual has not been charged with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal options available to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "When equipped, masked, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who choose to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country 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 news outlets.