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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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One of Representative Ilhan Omar's guests to President Donald Trump's State of the Union was arrested during the address on Tuesday.
The U.S. Capitol Police told Newsweek that Aliya Rahman, a disabled U.S. citizen who made headlines last month after she was filmed being dragged out of her car and detained by immigration officers while on her way to a medical appointment in Minneapolis, was arrested after disrupting the proceeding. The police said Rahman was arrested after she "started demonstrating" during the address and refused to obey orders to sit down.
Alexa Van Brunt, Rahman's attorney and the director of the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement to Newsweek that Rahman was targeted after "simply standing in silence" during Trump's address. Van Brunt called her arrest a "blatant abuse of power."
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On Monday, Omar's office identified Rahman as one of four Minnesotans who would be her guests to the State of the Union address. In a news release, the Democrat's office said Rahman was calling for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to "face legal accountability for their aggression against civilians."
Newsweek has contacted Omar's office and the White House for comment via emails sent outside regular business hours.
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The Context
The viral video of Rahman's arrest on January 13 was among many that documented the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities region and prompted scrutiny of ICE agents' actions. It came after tensions escalated in Minnesota following the January 24 fatal shooting of Renée Good, a U.S. citizen, in Minneapolis by an ICE agent. On January 24, Border Patrol agents fatally shot Alex Pretti, another U.S. citizen, in the same city.
Critics have accused ICE of using excessive force when arresting immigrants, attacking bystanders who record their conduct and failing to follow constitutional protections of people's rights.
Rahman, a Bangladeshi American software engineer, said she had been on her way to an appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center when she encountered federal immigration agents at an intersection. She told Newsweek that she was dragged from her vehicle even after telling agents she was disabled. She said she was denied medical care while in ICE custody and only taken to the hospital after she lost consciousness.
The Department of Homeland Security described Rahman as an agitator who "ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene."
What To Know
Rahman "started demonstrating" during the State of the Union address around 10:07 p.m., the Capitol Police said.
She was "told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders." The police added, "She was given a citation release, which is routine."
In an MS Now interview alongside Omar, Rahman said of her decision to attend the State of the Union address, "I almost don't feel like it was a choice."
She said: "I'm just so painfully aware that what happened to me is a very common experience in this country, except for the part where I got out and I got to come back to my community.
"Honestly, the emotional toll of it is the reason that I think it's still important to come be in front of people who are happy this happened to me or think I deserve worse."
Rahman testified about her experience before lawmakers at a congressional forum examining ICE's actions earlier in February.
In the MS NOW interview, Omar said she invited Rahman and other guests who continued to live with the consequences of the Trump administration's actions in Minnesota.
She said: "One of the things that we know is that the occupation that we experienced in Minnesota was a very harmful, terrorizing occupation. It harmed so many people. It obviously took the lives of Renée Good and Alex Pretti, but there are so many people who are alive who have to live with the damages that this administration has caused in Minnesota.
"So it's really important to the Minnesota Democratic delegation to keep these stories alive, to bring guests that speak to what the ICE occupation has meant for our constituents and the real harm that this administration has caused."
What People Are Saying
Alexa Van Brunt, Aliya Rahman's attorney and the director of the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement to Newsweek: "Aliya Rahman was targeted at the State of the Union last night. After standing up in silence during the speech, Aliya was quickly taken away and arrested for 'unlawful conduct' and released just before 4 a.m. today. There is nothing unlawful about standing in silence and this is a blatant abuse of power. She was not disruptive or disrespectful. She was not holding a sign, making gestures, or wearing protest gear. She was simply standing in silence."
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement to Newsweek: "All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited. At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight's State of the Union Address. The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders.
"It is illegal to disrupt the Congress and demonstrate in the Congressional Buildings, so 43-year-old Aliya M. Rahman of Minneapolis, Minnesota, was arrested for D.C. Code §10-503.16—Unlawful Conduct, Disruption of Congress."
Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar of Minnesota wrote on X: "'Operation Metro Surge' may have ended, but ICE's terrorization of our community continues. I'm so grateful to be joined by constituents, like Aliya Rahman, for the State of the Union to share exactly how ICE continues to traumatize our state."
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