Windy City TV Journalist's Arrest in Immigration Operation Described as 'Alarming and Horrifying', Lawyers State
Legal representatives representing a producer from Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the incident as "something that should alarm and horrify each individual in this country".
Details of the Detainment
The journalist, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the scene show the producer being pushed down by two agents before she is handcuffed and placed in a vehicle.
At the time, a government spokesperson 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 Brockman had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been filed against her.
Legal Team's Reaction
In a news release released by attorneys representing Brockman on earlier this week, her representatives disputed the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute 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 lawyers say that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any official role 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 federal officers.
"Brockman, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the statement continues. "As this occurred, bystanders on the street began filming the incident and inquired her her name."
The release indicates that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would inform her workplace so coworkers would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers stated.
Aftermath and Next Steps
Based on her lawyers, the journalist was held in government detention for about seven hours before being freed.
"The individual has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to explore all legal avenues available to her to uphold her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions," the release notes.
"One attorney, one of her attorneys, commented in the release: "If armed, covered, government officers are snatching US citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these agents must be prepared to do to our foreign-born residents and people who dare to speak out against them."
"The journalist was forced down, battered, handcuffed, and her pants were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer said. "No one should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country 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 news outlets.
