Aliyah Rahman She has returned to national attention after being arrested during President Donald Trump’s administration state of the union speech Tuesday. Photos of immigration enforcement officers dragging her from her car weeks ago sparked national outrage.
Rahman said she was arrested for standing in the House gallery during the speech.
Trump arrested during State of the Union address
Rahman attended the speech as a guest of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. She later explained why she stood up during her speech.
“You want to know why I was told I was deported and arrested? The sergeant told me it was because I stood up,” Lachman told Amy Goodman on the radio show “Democracy Now.”
“When I heard this man say some of the most racist things I’ve ever heard from any leader about the people of our city, she stood up and continued to trash talk my Minnesotan and glorify (the Department of Homeland Security), the people who did this to me, and the people who were allowed to roam the streets freely,” she said.
In his speech, trump card Calling Somali Minnesotans “pirates.”
Capitol Police said in a statement, “Guests were told to sit down but refused to comply with our lawful orders. Disrupting Congress and demonstrating in the Capitol building is illegal, so Rahman was arrested for unlawful conduct and disrupting Congress.”
Rahman’s attorney, Alexa Van Brunt of the MacArthur Justice Center, said in a statement to The Reformer that her client had been “targeted.”
“It is not illegal to remain silent, it is a blatant abuse of power,” Van Brunt said. “She was not causing damage and she was not disrespectful. She was not holding signs, making gestures or wearing protest gear. She was just standing quietly.”
Additionally, Rahman said the Capitol arrest was painful because she was still recovering from injuries she sustained when immigration officers dragged her from her car last month. She told Goodman she had damaged tendons and cartilage and may need surgery.
Rahman was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later flown to U.S. Capitol Police headquarters for treatment, Omar said in a statement.
Rahman said that despite what happened, she remained steadfast and said, “Every time you try to break my body, you fuel my spirit.”
What happened on January 13th?
At a U.S. Senate hearing, Rahman recounted what happened on Jan. 13 when she was driving to an appointment at Hennepin Healthcare’s Traumatic Brain Injury Center when she was stopped by a Department of Homeland Security vehicle.
She said agents surrounded her car, yelled different orders and smashed her windows. Rahman said she told them she was disabled, but an agent responded “it was too late.” She also said an agent held a combat knife close to her face.
According to Rahman, she was pulled from the car, face down, handcuffed, and kept saying she had a brain injury. She said she was not asked for identification, told she was under arrest, read her rights or charged with a crime.
Lachman also described chaotic conditions at the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building, saying she was denied medical care, a phone, a lawyer and a cane, and was forced to walk in shackles.
