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Attorneys representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe 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 the weekend by federal agents during an ICE operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being pushed down by two agents before she is restrained and placed in a vehicle.

At the time, a homeland security official claimed that the individual "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

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

Attorney's Reaction

In a news release issued by lawyers acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the official version. They declared they "strongly refute any claim 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 lawyers explain that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "walking 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 occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

The release says that she informed the bystanders her name and that she was employed at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.

Consequences and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, Brockman was kept in government detention for about seven hours before being freed.

"She has not been charged with any offenses and she plans to pursue all legal avenues open to her to uphold her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release adds.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the release: "If armed, covered, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk 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 individuals who choose to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, battered, restrained, and her pants were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks," the lawyer stated. "No one should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.