A long-time WGN-TV producer was detained by U.S. Border Patrol agents Friday morning during a public enforcement action that unfolded during rush hour in Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood.
The producer, identified as Debbie Brockman, was taken to the ground and handcuffed by two agents near the intersection of Foster and Lincoln avenues around 8:30 a.m., according to witnesses. Brockman has worked for WGN-TV (Channel 9) since 2011, according to a professional social media profile.
Video taken by a bystander shows Brockman face-down on the street as agents restrain her while several cars honk and pedestrians shout at the officers. Onlookers can be heard yelling “fascists!” and other remarks as the agents load her into an unmarked silver van with New Jersey license plates.
“WGN is aware of this situation, and we are actively gathering the facts related to it,” a WGN-TV spokesperson told reporters on Friday.
In an update Friday afternoon, WGN-TV’s website said Brockman was eventually released. The station declined to identify Brockman by name, citing an internal policy that requires concealing the identities of people who are not charged with a crime — even though Brockman identified herself and her employer in widely-circulated web videos.
WGN-TV is owned by Nexstar Media Group. A spokesperson for the company has not yet returned a request for comment.
Josh Thomas, a nearby resident who recorded the incident, said Brockman was detained along with an unidentified Latino man who was already inside the van when he began filming.
“I walk out the front door of the condo, she’s laying on the ground in the street and they’re wrestling with her, trying to get her hands behind her back,” said Thomas, 36, who works at a Chicago law firm. “They said they were detaining her for obstruction. She said, ‘I didn’t obstruct.’”
Thomas said about two dozen people gathered at the intersection, with drivers stopping and pedestrians voicing objections as the scene escalated.
After placing Brockman in the vehicle, the agents sped away, striking the bumper of a stopped car partially blocking their exit, witnesses said. The van continued through the busy intersection, narrowly missing an oncoming CTA bus.
The identity of the man detained alongside Brockman was not immediately known. Federal officials have not released a statement about the incident, and it remains unclear whether either individual faces charges.
The scene drew considerable attention from commuters and residents, some of whom filmed the encounter from nearby sidewalks and storefronts. The video of Brockman’s detention quickly circulated on social media Friday afternoon as questions mounted about the agents’ conduct and the reason for the arrests.
