Windy City Television Reporter's Detainment in Immigration Raid Called 'Disturbing and Horrifying', Attorneys Assert
Legal representatives representing a journalist from the city of Chicago's local TV network who was temporarily detained by government officers last week describe the incident as "an occurrence that ought to alarm and frighten every person in this country".
Particulars of the Detainment
Debbie Brockman, a US citizen and station staff member, was arrested on the weekend by federal agents during an ICE action in a North Side Chicago area. Footage from the location depict Brockman being forced to the ground by two agents before she is handcuffed and put in a van.
At the time, a homeland security official stated that Brockman "threw objects at an official vehicle" and was "placed under arrest for attacking an officer".
Later on Friday, the television station announced that Brockman had been freed from detention and that no accusations had been filed against her.
Attorney's Response
In a statement released by lawyers representing the journalist on Tuesday, her representatives challenged the government's account. They declared they "adamantly deny any claim that she assaulted anyone" and that "She was the one who was violently assaulted by officers on her way to work" on the date in question.
Her attorneys say that at the time of the detainment, the journalist was "not acting in any official role as an employee for WGN" 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 violently detained on a city street," the release continues. "As this happened, bystanders on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms Brockman her name."
The statement says that she told the bystanders her name and that she worked at WGN, in the hopes that "a person would notify her employer so colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her attorneys stated.
Aftermath and Next Steps
According to her lawyers, the journalist was held in federal custody for about several hours before being freed.
"The individual has not been accused with any crimes and she plans to explore all legal options available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their conduct," the release notes.
"Brad Thomson, a legal representative, added in the statement: "If armed, masked, federal agents are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk to work and placing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only conceive what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them."
"The journalist was taken to the ground, struck, handcuffed, and her trousers were pulled down exposing her uncovered skin," Thomson stated. "No one should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or anywhere else in the world."
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the US Customs and Border Protection did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from news outlets.
