A disabled, autistic woman, whose ICE arrest in Minneapolis was caught on camera, testified before Congress, detailing the harrowing abuse and trauma she said she endured while in federal custody.
On Tuesday, Democrats in both the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate held a joint forum receiving testimony on the “violent tactics and disproportionate use of force” by agents of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Aliya Rahman, who is a U.S. citizen and Bangladeshi-American, shared her story. On Jan. 13, Rahman was driving to an appointment at a medical clinic to treat her traumatic brain injury. However, she encountered a traffic jam due to ICE vehicles blocking the road. When she rolled down her window, an agent yelled at her, “I will break your effing window.”
“Agents on all sides of my vehicle yelled conflicting threats and instructions that I could not process while watching for pedestrians. Then the glass of the passenger side window flew across my face. I yelled, ‘I’m disabled’ at the hands grabbing at me, and an agent said, ‘Too late,'” recalled Rahman, a software engineering manager.
She told Democrats at the Tuesday congressional hearing that after ICE agents cut her out of her seatbelt with a “large combat knife” that she thought would be used on her, she felt a “shooting pain” in her head, neck, and wrists before hitting the ground face-first with officers leaning on her back.
“I thought of Mr. George Floyd, who was killed four blocks away,” said Rahman. “I was carried face down through the street by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a brain injury and was disabled. I now cannot lift my arms normally.”
As she was taken into custody, Rahman said she was never asked for her ID, was never told she was under arrest, was never read her rights, and was never charged with a crime. She was taken to the Whipple Federal Building, a temporary detention center, where she recalled witnessing “Black and brown bodies shackled together.”
Rahman said she received no medical screening and was denied a phone call or access to an attorney. She also claimed she was denied a communication navigator when her speech began to slur, and said federal agents laughed at her when she tried to regain mobility and asked for her cane. After an hour of pleading for medical attention, Rahman said she blacked out.
Despite what she endured, Rahman said, “I do not deserve more humane treatment than anyone else, U.S. citizen or not.” She instead centered those who weren’t able to tell their stories of abuse.
“I am here today with a strong spirit and a duty to the many people who haven’t had the privilege to tell their stories or see their loved ones come home. I am extremely distressed by the pattern that violence from law enforcement has been happening to Black and indigenous communities for centuries and to DHS survivors for over 20 years,” said Rahman.
“We call ourselves a civilized nation, but we lack rules and accountability around what a person claiming to be law enforcement is permitted to do to another human being.”
She added, “I am not afraid, and I’m not afraid to keep working on this problem even after ICE is gone.”
The national outrage over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement in Minneapolis and across the country has reached a breaking point following cascading events, including the fatal ICE shootings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, both U.S. citizens, and the detainment of children, most notably 5-year-old Liam Ramos in Minneapolis.
Others who testified before Congressional Democrats included Marimar Martinez, a U.S. citizen and first-generation Mexican-American, who was shot five times by ICE in Chicago on Oct. 4, 2025, and Luke and Brent Ganger, the brothers of Renee Good.
On Wednesday, President Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, announced that 700 federal officers would be pulled out of Minnesota and that the federal government was coordinating with state and local officials to eventually end its large-scale ICE operations in the Twin Cities. However, advocates say simply pulling out leaves little accountability. Meanwhile, Democrats in Congress are demanding a range of reforms for ICE and DHS officers. Some are even calling for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem to be impeached or fired for her role in leading the agency.
