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Legal representatives acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the incident as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this country".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was taken into custody on the weekend by government officers during an ICE operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the location depict Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and put in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

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

Attorney's Response

In a statement released by attorneys acting for the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys explain that at the time of the detainment, Brockman was "not acting 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 confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the release continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began filming the incident and asked her her name."

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

Consequences and Next Steps

According to her lawyers, Brockman was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being released.

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she intends to pursue all legal options open to her to uphold her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the statement adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "If armed, masked, federal agents are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk 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."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her trousers were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or any other place in the world."

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.