Windy City Television Journalist's Detainment in Immigration Operation Described as 'Disturbing and Terrifying', Attorneys State
Legal representatives acting for a journalist from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week characterize the event as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and frighten every person in this country".
Particulars of the Detainment
The journalist, a US citizen and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a van.
At the moment, a homeland security official claimed that Brockman "threw objects at border patrol's car" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".
Later on Friday, 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 news release issued by attorneys acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team disputed the official version. They declared they "adamantly deny any allegation that she attacked anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work" on 10 October.
Her attorneys explain that at the moment of the arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any professional capacity as an staff member 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 forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the statement adds. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began filming the incident and inquired Ms Brockman her name."
The release indicates that she told the bystanders her name and that she was employed at the station, in the hopes that "a person would inform her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers stated.
Consequences and Next Steps
According to her lawyers, Brockman was kept in federal custody for about seven hours before being freed.
"The individual has not been charged 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 actions," the statement adds.
"One attorney, a legal representative, commented in the release: "If equipped, covered, federal agents are taking US citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who dare to protest against them."
"Ms Brockman was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were lowered revealing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "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 provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.
