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Attorneys representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week describe the incident as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a US citizen and station staff member, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an ICE action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and put in a van.

At the moment, a government spokesperson stated that Brockman "hurled items at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Later on Friday, the television station confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement released by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the official version. They stated they "adamantly deny 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 say that at the time of the detainment, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by federal officers.

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

The release says that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed 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 Next Steps

Based on her legal team, the journalist was kept in government detention for about several hours before being freed.

"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 notes.

"One attorney, one of her attorneys, commented in the release: "When armed, masked, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these agents must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and people who choose to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was taken to the ground, battered, restrained, and her trousers were lowered exposing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to inquiries from the media.