Windy City Television Journalist's Arrest in Immigration Operation Described as 'Disturbing and Terrifying', Attorneys Assert
Legal representatives representing a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by federal agents last week characterize the incident as "something that should concern and horrify each individual in this nation".
Details of the Detainment
Debbie Brockman, a American national and station staff member, was arrested on the weekend by government officers during an ICE operation in a North Side Chicago area. Videos from the location show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and placed in a vehicle.
At the time, a homeland security official stated that the individual "hurled items at an official vehicle" and was "detained for assault on a federal law enforcement officer".
Later on Friday, the television station confirmed that their employee had been released from federal custody and that no accusations had been pressed against her.
Legal Team's Response
In a news release issued by lawyers acting for Brockman on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the government's account. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "She 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 performing in any professional capacity as an staff member for WGN" but that she was just "heading to the transit point as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.
"The individual, who is a US Citizen born in this country, was forcibly held on Foster Avenue," the release adds. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the event and inquired her her name."
The statement says that she informed the onlookers her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "someone would notify her workplace so colleagues would know that she would not be coming at work that day", her lawyers said.
Aftermath and Legal Action
Based on her lawyers, the journalist was held in federal custody for about seven hours before being freed.
"She has not been accused with any crimes and she plans to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and ensure government accountability for their conduct," the statement notes.
"Brad Thomson, one of her attorneys, added in the release: "If armed, covered, government officers are taking US citizens off the street as they travel to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only conceive what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and individuals who choose to speak out against them."
"The journalist was forced down, struck, restrained, and her pants were pulled down revealing her uncovered skin," the lawyer stated. "Not anyone should be handled like that in this metropolis, in this country or anywhere else in the world."
Immigration authorities, the federal agency, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not immediately respond to inquiries from the media.
