News - Chicago News Producer Violently Detained During ICE Enforcement and Taken Away in Unmarked Van

A news producer was violently detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Chicago amid President Donald Trump's ongoing immigration crackdown. Debbie Brockman was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on the morning of Friday, Oct. 10, in the Lincoln Square neighborhood of Chicago’s North Side, according to reports from WGN-TV, the Chicago Tribune and ABC 7 Eyewitness. The incident, which an eyewitness told WGN occurred around 8:30 a.m. local time, was captured on video from multiple angles. Two Border Patrol agents could be seen forcing Brockman, who identified herself to bystanders as an employee of WGN, to the ground in eyewitness footage shared on X. In different footage obtained by the Chicago Tribune, she appeared distressed as agents held her against the ground, and she told a bystander who asked for her name: “Debbie Brockman. I work for WGN. Please let them know.” Three agents, who wore black masks that obscured their faces, then attempted to put Brockman in an unmarked minivan, the same footage shows. Brockman is a U.S. citizen, according to WGN-TV, where she has worked for over 14 years, per her LinkedIn profile. In a statement obtained by multiple outlets, the Department of Homeland Security said the news producer allegedly threw objects at a Border Patrol car and was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer. An eyewitness, Josh Thomas, disputed this while recounting the events to WGN-TV. “They claimed that the WGN employee was obstructing justice, even though she was, like all of us, just standing there, taking video,” he told the Chicago TV station. She was later released without charges, according to WGN-TV and ABC 7 Eyewitness News. Brockman’s employer addressed her detainment in a statement to ABC 7: “Earlier today, a WGN-TV creative services employee was detained by ICE. She has since been released, and no charges were filed against her. Out of respect for her privacy, we will have no further statements about this incident.” Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human-interest stories. Border Patrol agents put another person, a man, in the same unmarked vehicle, which had a New Jersey license plate, footage shows. Thomas, who lives in the area and witnessed the detainment, recalled the scene to WGN-TV. “I heard yelling and screaming and honking,” he told the station. “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.” Thomas also asked for the name of the second person in the van, but did not get it, he told WGN, adding that “he didn’t speak very good English.” Another bystander, who remained anonymous, told WGN that the agents were seemingly targeting men who were working on a property near the scene, and witnesses became outraged after agents detained an older man. “We didn’t even see it coming. It was really like so quick and fast,” the anonymous witness told the outlet. “We were just screaming to leave him alone, leave him alone.”