Chicago Television Reporter's Detainment in Immigration Operation Called 'Disturbing and Horrifying', Lawyers State
Attorneys acting for a journalist from Chicago's WGN television station who was briefly held by government officers last week characterize the event as "something that should alarm and horrify every person in this country".
Particulars of the Arrest
The journalist, a American national and WGN employee, was arrested on the weekend by government officers during an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood. Videos from the scene show Brockman being forced to the ground by officers before she is handcuffed and put in a van.
At the moment, a homeland security official claimed that Brockman "hurled items at border patrol's car" and was "detained for attacking an officer".
Later on Friday, WGN announced that Brockman had been freed from detention and that no charges had been filed against her.
Legal Team's Reaction
In a statement issued by lawyers representing the journalist on Tuesday, her legal team challenged the official version. They stated they "strongly refute any claim that she assaulted 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 arrest, Brockman was "not acting in any official role 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 confronted by federal officers.
"The individual, who is a American citizen born in this country, was violently detained on a city street," the release adds. "As this happened, individuals on the street began filming the event and inquired Ms Brockman her name."
The release 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 colleagues would know that she would not be arriving at work that day", her lawyers stated.
Aftermath and Next Steps
According to her lawyers, the journalist was kept in federal custody for about several hours before being released.
"She has not been charged with any offenses and she plans to explore all legal options available to her to uphold her entitlements and ensure government accountability for their actions," the release notes.
"One attorney, one of her attorneys, commented in the statement: "When armed, masked, government officers are snatching American nationals off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in non-descript cars, you can only imagine what these officers must be prepared to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them."
"The journalist was forced down, battered, restrained, and her trousers were lowered revealing her bare buttocks," Thomson stated. "Not anyone should be treated like that in this metropolis, in this nation or any other place in the globe."
ICE, the Department of Homeland Security, and the border agency did not provide a prompt reply to inquiries from the media.
