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Attorneys acting for a producer from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the incident as "something that should concern and horrify every person in this country".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an ICE operation in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the scene show the producer being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a vehicle.

At the time, a government spokesperson stated that the individual "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Later on Friday, WGN announced that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the government's account. They stated they "adamantly deny any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys explain that at the time of the detainment, Brockman was "not acting in any professional capacity as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was confronted by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began filming the event and asked her her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers said.

Aftermath and Next Steps

According to her legal team, the journalist was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being freed.

"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal options open to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the statement notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "When armed, masked, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to protest against them."

"The journalist was forced down, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were lowered exposing her bare buttocks," the lawyer said. "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 border agency did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from news outlets.