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Legal representatives representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week describe the incident as "something that should concern and horrify every person in this nation".

Details of the Detainment

The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was taken into custody on Friday by government officers during an ICE action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being pushed down by officers before she is restrained and placed in a vehicle.

At the moment, a homeland security official stated that the individual "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".

Subsequently that day, the television station confirmed that their employee had been freed from detention and that no charges had been filed against her.

Legal Team's Reaction

In a news release issued by lawyers acting for Brockman on earlier this week, her legal team challenged the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked 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 moment of the arrest, the journalist was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by federal officers.

"The individual, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue," the release adds. "As this happened, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name."

The statement says that she told the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, 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 Legal Action

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

"The individual has not been accused with any offenses and she intends to pursue all legal avenues open to her to uphold her rights and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release notes.

"One attorney, a legal representative, commented in the release: "When equipped, 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 agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to speak out against them."

"The journalist was taken to the ground, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down revealing her bare buttocks," Thomson said. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this city, in this country or anywhere else in the world."

ICE, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to requests for comment from news outlets.