(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Video footage of federal agents arresting a video producer in Chicago has gone viral, sparking a wide range of reactions online.
Some on the left claimed federal agents were targeting journalists, while others on the right mocked the woman’s behavior and said the arrest was justified.
Debbie Brockman, a video producer at WGN News’s creative department, was arrested after allegedly throwing an object at federal agents conducting an investigation near an intersection on Chicago’s North Side.
Bystander video showed Brockman lying on the ground, breathing heavily and appearing shocked, her pants partially down. This scene stunned many on X.
“What’s your name?” the bystander asked.
“Debbie Brockman. I work for WGN! Let them know!” Brockman is heard saying, her face turning red while a Border Patrol agent struggled to put a double set of handcuffs on her.
ANTIFA: WGN video editor & producer Debbie Brockman was off duty (no video equipment) in Lincoln Square today throwing objects at federal officers. When she was arrested she demanded to be released because she is a ‘journalist’. https://t.co/gLP7fqS7s8
— @amuse (@amuse) October 10, 2025
In a statement, DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said Brockman was “arrested for throwing objects at law enforcement.”
Gregory Bovino, commander-at-large of the U.S. Border Patrol, echoed McLaughlin’s remarks in a separate post, sharing a photo of Brockman in the back of a Border Patrol vehicle.
“Fair and transparent local news stations in Chicago?” Bovino wrote. “Apparently not, as this employee of a local television network decided to take the news cycle to a whole new level by throwing an object at Border Patrol Agents conducting lawful duties.”
Fair and transparent local news stations in Chicago?🤨
Apparently not, as this employee of a local television network decided to take the news cycle to a whole new level by throwing an object at Border Patrol Agents conducting lawful duties.
Reporting now shifts to a different… pic.twitter.com/BXjhMYtPeD
— Commander Op At Large CA Gregory K. Bovino (@CMDROpAtLargeCA) October 11, 2025
Earlier footage of the altercation showed an object flying toward Border Patrol vehicles.
Brockman was released without charge. This could change, since assault charges carry a five-year statute of limitations under federal law.
Some leftist critics claimed her arrest marked an escalation of law enforcement’s force against journalists. However, none of Brockman’s work appears to include field reporting, and at the time of her detention, she carried no camera equipment.
