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Attorneys representing a producer from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week characterize the incident as "something that should concern and frighten every person in this nation".

Particulars of the Detainment

The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was taken into custody on the weekend by federal agents 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 van.

At the time, a homeland security official claimed that Brockman "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station announced that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Response

In a news release issued by lawyers representing Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the official version. They stated they "adamantly deny any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

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

The statement indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would inform her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Aftermath and Next Steps

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

"She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal options available to her to uphold her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the statement: "When equipped, masked, government officers are taking American nationals off the street as they travel to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who dare to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, struck, restrained, and her pants were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this city, in this country or any other place in the globe."

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