Masked federal immigration officers forcibly removed Aliya Rahman from her car in Minneapolis this week. Rahman is a US citizen with a traumatic brain injury and autism. The event was captured on video and has gone viral online. The footage has drawn millions of views and intensified public scrutiny of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement tactics.
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Aliya Rahman said she was on her way to a medical appointment when the confrontation occurred. The video shows officers in flak jackets and sunglasses surrounding her vehicle on a residential street near 34th Street and Park. Amid car horns, whistles, and shouting protesters, agents smashed her window, cut her seatbelt, and pulled her to the ground.
Rahman shouted in the footage, “I’ve been beat up by police before. I’m disabled, I’m trying to go to the doctor up there… I am an autistic disabled person, I’m trying to go to the doctor.”
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Bystanders yelled and shouted at the officers, with one asking, “Where is your humanity?” Others shouted, “That’s so f***ed up,” and “All you do is hurt.” Officers fired tear gas, pepper balls, and flash-bang grenades at protesters during the standoff.
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The incident occurred just days after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, 37, in Minneapolis. Good’s death had already sparked widespread anger and demonstrations against federal immigration operations in Minnesota.
Aliya Rahman’s lawyer, Alexa Van Brunt, of the MacArthur Justice Center, described her client’s predicament as nearly impossible. She said officers put Rahman in a dangerous position by forcing her to choose between moving her car forward and risking accusations of harming them or staying still and facing immediate physical violence.
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“Her only options were to move her car forward in the direction of ICE officers or stay stationary, which in the end led to physical violence and abuse,” Van Brunt said. “Aliya Rahman faced a terrible and confusing position and had nowhere to go.”
Rahman also said officers denied her medical attention at the detention center, where she lost consciousness. However, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disputed her version, calling her an “agitator” who ignored repeated commands to move her vehicle. DHS said officers arrested six people during the operation, including one who allegedly jumped on an officer’s back.
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Officers were executing an arrest warrant for a 20-year-old man from Ecuador, who had allegedly entered the US illegally near El Paso in 2019, and said Aliya Rahman’s vehicle blocked enforcement activity. They stated Aliya Rahman’s vehicle blocked enforcement activity, and she refused to comply with officers’ instructions.
The incident comes amid heightened tensions in Minneapolis and across the US after Renee Good’s killing. Multiple protests erupted in cities including Minneapolis, New York City, and Washington, DC, following the fatal shooting. ICE official Charles Marcus told media outlets that ICE arrested at least 60 protesters in Minnesota in recent days for interfering with enforcement actions.
The Trump administration has deployed more than 2,000 federal agents to the Minneapolis–St Paul area. It is calling the deployment the largest immigration operation in US history. The move has faced sharp criticism from local leaders. Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey demanded that ICE leave the city. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said the federal presence has caused widespread disruption.
Ellison said DHS agents have sown chaos and terror across the metropolitan area. Ellison said schools have gone into lockdown. Entire districts have canceled classes to ensure safety, he added. He also noted that businesses are closing because people are afraid to go out.
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DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin defended the operation. She accused critics of prioritizing politics over public safety. She said it was astounding that critics could rediscover the Tenth Amendment when they do not want federal law enforcement officers to enforce federal law.
The viral video of Aliya Rahman’s removal has intensified the debate over federal immigration enforcement. It has also intensified debate over the treatment of disabled citizens during high‑risk operations.