A U.S. citizen on her way to a medical appointment in Minneapolis was dragged out of her car and detained by immigration officers, according to a statement released by the woman on Thursday, after a video of her arrest drew millions of views on social media.
Aliya Rahman said she was brought to a detention center where she was denied medical care and lost consciousness. The Department of Homeland Security said she was an agitator who was obstructing ICE agents conducting arrests in the area.
That video is the latest in a deluge of online content that documents an intensifying immigration crackdown across the midwestern city, as thousands of federal agents execute arrests amid protests in what local officials have likened to a 'federal invasion.'
Dragged from her car
Rahman said that she was on her way to a routine appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center when she encountered federal immigration agents at an intersection. Video appears to show federal immigration agents shouting commands over a cacophony of whistles, car horns, and screams from protesters.
In the video, one masked agent smashes Rahman's passenger side window while others cut her seatbelt and drag her out of the car through the driver's side door. Numerous guards then carried her by her arms and legs towards an ICE vehicle.
'I'm disabled trying to go to the doctor up there, that’s why I didn’t move,' Rahman said, gesturing down the street as officers pulled her arms behind her back.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security disputed that account in an emailed statement, saying that Rahman was an agitator who 'ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene.' She was arrested along with six other people the department called agitators.
The department did not specify if Rahman was charged or respond to questions about her assertion that she was denied medical treatment.
Barrage of viral videos draw scrutiny
The video of Rahman's arrest is one of many that have garnered millions of views recently — and been scrutinized amid conflicting accounts from federal officials and civilian eyewitnesses.
Common themes in many of these videos include protests with whistles, yelling, and honking horns. Immigration officers breaking vehicle windows, using pepper spray on protesters, and detaining individuals forcefully are recurring elements.
In one video, heavily armed immigration agents used a battering ram to break through the front door of Garrison Gibson's home, where his wife and 9-year-old child were present.
Another video shows ICE agents detaining two employees at a Target store, who were later confirmed to be U.S. citizens.
Monica Bicking, a nurse, recorded an incident in which an agent kneeled on a man's face while others restrained him on the ground.
Bicking expressed concern, saying she now carries a whistle to alert others to ICE presence, a precaution she considers necessary.
'I thought I was going to die'
Rahman stated that after her detainment, she felt lucky to be alive.
'Masked agents dragged me from my car and bound me like an animal, even after I told them that I was disabled,' she reported.
She requested medical attention while in custody but was taken to a detention center, and only received medical care after losing consciousness.
Rahman was treated for injuries consistent with assault and has since been released from the hospital, expressing gratitude to the medical staff for their care.
'They gave me hope when I thought I was going to die.'
