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Attorneys representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the incident as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify every person in this country".

Details of the Arrest

The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene depict the producer being pushed down by officers before she is handcuffed and put in a van.

At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that the individual "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Later on Friday, 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 issued by attorneys acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her legal team challenged the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her attorneys say that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.

"The individual, who is a American citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on a city street," the release adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The release indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

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

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

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are taking American nationals off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this city, in this nation or anywhere else in the globe."

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to requests for comment from the media.