(WGN) — Just days after she was detained by Border Patrol agents on Chicago’s North Side, attorneys representing the WGN creative services employee at the center of the incident have released a statement.
On Friday, Debbie Brockman was detained after Border Patrol agents said they were conducting immigration enforcement at a busy intersection in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood at the height of rush hour.
“I heard yelling and screaming and honking. I ran downstairs to see what was going on. It looked like Border Patrol agents in a minivan had slammed some lady to the ground. And so, I ran up to her and asked her for her name. She said she was a WGN employee,” Josh Thomas, a witness who lives in a condo above the scene in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood, told Nexstar’s WGN.
Thomas said Brockman was accused of obstructing justice, “even though she was, like all of us, just standing there, taking video.”
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security, the WGN employee, who is also a U.S. citizen, allegedly threw objects at a Border Patrol car. She was placed under arrest for assault on a federal law enforcement officer, but was later released without charges.
See WGN News’ previous reporting on Friday’s incident here
WGN initially chose not to name the employee, as she was not charged with a crime, which is standard practice in coverage. Since Brockman has identified herself in the statement, WGN is as well.
On Tuesday, attorneys at People’s Law Office, which is representing Brockman, released a statement, saying nobody should be treated the way Brockman was. You can see the full statement below:
“Debbie Brockman, the WGN employee who was physically attacked and arrested in Chicago, Illinois by federal agents on October 10, 2025, would like to provide the following information to clarify any misunderstandings or misrepresentations that have been previously reported.
First off, Ms. Brockman wishes to clarify that at the time of this incident she was not acting in any professional capacity as an employee of WGN. During the morning hours this past Friday, Ms. Brockman was walking to the bus stop as part of her morning commute when she was attacked by Border Patrol agents.
Ms. Brockman, who is a U.S. citizen born in this country, was violently detained on Foster Avenue, on the north side of Chicago. As this occurred, individuals on the street began recording the incident and asked Ms. Brockman her name. In addition to providing her name, Ms. Brockman stated that she worked for WGN. She added this information because she hoped someone would notify her employer so her coworkers would know that she would not be arriving at work that day.
Ms. Brockman was detained and held in federal custody for approximately 7 hours before being released. She has not been charged with any crimes and she intends to pursue all legal avenues available to her to vindicate her rights and hold the federal authorities accountable for their actions.
Ms. Brockman is being represented by attorneys from the People’s Law Office in Chicago. Ms. Brockman and her legal team adamantly deny any allegation that she assaulted anyone. Rather, Ms. Brockman was the one who was violently assaulted by federal agents on her way to work. Ms. Brockman feared for her life multiple times throughout this terrifying experience.
‘This incident should be alarming and horrifying to every single person in this country,’ said Brad Thomson, one of Ms. Brockman’s attorneys at People’s Law Office. ‘If armed, masked, federal agents are snatching U.S. citizens off the street as they walk to work and throwing them in unmarked vehicles, you can only imagine what these agents must be willing to do to our immigrant neighbors and people who dare to speak out against them.‘
Thomson further stated, ‘Ms. Brockman was taken to the ground, battered, handcuffed and her pants were pulled down exposing her bare buttocks. No one should be treated like that in this city, in this country, or anywhere else in the world.‘
Ms. Brockman will not be making any statement at this time, as feels that she has been ‘exposed‘ enough.”
WGN also released a statement regarding the incident:
On the morning of Friday, October 10, 2025, a WGN-TV employee was detained by border patrol agents who are in Chicago working on immigration enforcement with ICE.
She was subsequently released, and no charges were filed against her.
This employee is not a journalist and was not working at the time.
We continue gathering facts related to this situation.
Out of respect for her privacy, we have no further comment.
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