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Attorneys acting for a producer from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the incident as "something that should alarm and frighten every person in this nation".

Particulars of the Arrest

The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene show the producer being pushed down by officers before she is restrained and put in a van.

At the time, a homeland security official claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".

Later on Friday, the television station confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a statement released by attorneys representing Brockman on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she attacked anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.

Her lawyers explain that at the time of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any official role as an employee for the station" but that she was just "walking to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by Border Patrol agents.

"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on a city street," the release continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began filming the incident and inquired her her name."

The statement indicates that she informed the bystanders her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "a person would inform her employer so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.

Aftermath and Legal Action

Based on her lawyers, 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 explore all legal avenues available to her to uphold her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the release notes.

"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, commented in the release: "If equipped, masked, government officers are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these officers must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who choose to protest against them."

"The journalist was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were lowered exposing her bare buttocks," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this country or any other place in the world."

Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.