Chicago TV Reporter's Detainment in ICE Operation Described as 'Alarming and Terrifying', Attorneys Assert
Legal representatives representing a producer from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was briefly held by federal agents last week characterize the event as "something that should concern and horrify every person in this nation".
Details of the Arrest
The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Footage from the location depict the producer being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a vehicle.
At the time, a government spokesperson claimed that the individual "hurled items at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".
Later on Friday, the television station confirmed that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.
Legal Team's Response
In a statement released by lawyers acting for Brockman on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the official version. They declared 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 detainment, the journalist was "not performing in any official role as an staff member for the station" but that she was just "walking to the transit point as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.
"The individual, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the release adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the incident and inquired Ms Brockman her name."
The statement indicates that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers stated.
Consequences and Legal Action
According to her lawyers, the journalist was kept in government detention for about several hours before being released.
"The individual has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal options available to her to vindicate her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the release adds.
"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "When armed, masked, federal agents are taking American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who dare to protest against them."
"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, restrained, and her pants were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "No one should be treated like that in this city, in this country or any other place in the globe."
ICE, the federal agency, and the border agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the media.