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Legal representatives acting for a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to concern and horrify every person in this nation".

Details of the Arrest

Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was taken into custody on the weekend by government officers during an ICE operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the location show Brockman being pushed down by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

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

Subsequently that day, WGN confirmed that Brockman had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a news release released by attorneys acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her legal team disputed the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was physically attacked by federal agents on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers say that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any professional capacity as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by federal officers.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began recording the incident and inquired Ms Brockman her name."

The release indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at WGN, 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 stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

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

"She has not been charged with any offenses and she intends to explore all legal options available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the release: "When equipped, covered, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to protest against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this city, in this nation or any other place in the world."

ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.