Chicago Television Journalist's Arrest in Immigration Operation Called 'Disturbing and Horrifying', Lawyers State
Attorneys acting for a producer from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by federal agents last week characterize the event as "something that should concern and frighten every person in this nation".
Details of the Arrest
Debbie Brockman, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on Friday by government officers during an ICE action in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the location show the producer being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.
At the moment, a government spokesperson claimed that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".
Subsequently that day, WGN announced that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no charges had been pressed against her.
Legal Team's Reaction
In a statement released by lawyers representing the journalist on earlier this week, her representatives challenged the official version. They stated 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 the date in question.
Her attorneys explain that at the moment of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any professional capacity as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the bus stop as part of her daily travel when she was attacked by federal officers.
"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the release adds. "As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the event and inquired Ms Brockman 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 coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.
Aftermath and Legal Action
Based on her legal team, Brockman was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being released.
"She has not been accused with any offenses and she intends to pursue all legal avenues open to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the release adds.
"One attorney, a legal representative, commented in the release: "When armed, covered, federal agents are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and placing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these agents must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to speak out against them."
"The journalist was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "No one should be handled like that in this city, in this nation or any other place in the world."
Immigration authorities, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.