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Legal representatives representing a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the incident as "something that should concern and frighten each individual in this country".

Details of the Detainment

Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on Friday by federal agents during an ICE action in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the scene depict Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.

At the moment, a homeland security official stated that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" 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 charges had been filed against her.

Attorney's Response

In a statement issued by lawyers acting for the journalist on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the official version. They declared they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman 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 arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity 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 US Citizen native to the US, was violently detained on a city street," the statement adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The release says that she told the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers said.

Aftermath and Next Steps

Based on her lawyers, Brockman was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being released.

"The individual has not been charged with any crimes and she intends 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 statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to protest against them."

"Ms Brockman was forced down, struck, handcuffed, and her pants were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or anywhere else in the globe."

Immigration authorities, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.