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Attorneys acting for a producer from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the event as "something that should alarm and horrify every person in this country".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an ICE operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the location show the producer being pushed down by officers before she is restrained and placed in a van.

At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "detained for attacking an officer".

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

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release released by attorneys representing Brockman on earlier this week, 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 physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.

Her attorneys say that at the moment of the arrest, Brockman was "not performing in any professional capacity as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the statement adds. "As this happened, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The release indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, 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 stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

According to her lawyers, the journalist was kept in government detention for about several hours before being released.

"She has not been charged with any offenses and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "When armed, masked, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who choose to speak out against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or any other place in the world."

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