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Attorneys representing a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and horrify each individual in this nation".

Particulars of the Detainment

The journalist, a US citizen and station staff member, was taken into custody on Friday by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

At the moment, a homeland security official stated that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "detained for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by attorneys acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her legal team challenged the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by officers on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys say that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"The individual, who is a American citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired her her name."

The release says that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "someone would inform her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys said.

Consequences and Legal Action

According to her legal team, Brockman was kept in government detention for about seven hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she intends to explore all legal options available to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement notes.

"One attorney, a legal representative, added in the statement: "If armed, covered, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who choose to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down revealing her bare buttocks," the lawyer stated. "No one should be treated 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 provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from the media.