Windy City Television Reporter's Arrest in Immigration Operation Called 'Alarming and Horrifying', Attorneys State
Legal representatives representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's WGN television station who was temporarily detained by government officers last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to concern and frighten each individual in this nation".
Particulars of the Detainment
Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location show Brockman being pushed down by officers before she is handcuffed 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, WGN announced that Brockman had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been filed against her.
Legal Team's Response
In a news release issued by lawyers acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the government's account. They stated they "adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone" and that "Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on the date in question.
Her lawyers explain that at the time of the arrest, the journalist was "not acting in any professional capacity as an employee for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was confronted by federal officers.
"The individual, who is a American citizen native to the US, was forcibly held on a city street," the statement continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the event and inquired her her name."
The statement indicates that she told the onlookers her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "someone would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her attorneys said.
Consequences and Next Steps
Based on her lawyers, the journalist was held in government detention for about several hours before being freed.
"The individual has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her entitlements and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the release adds.
"One attorney, a legal representative, commented in the release: "When armed, masked, government officers are taking American nationals off the street as they travel to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be willing to do to our foreign-born residents and individuals who choose to speak out against them."
"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "No one should be treated like that in this city, in this nation or anywhere else in the globe."
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.