Aliya Rahman was on her way to the doctor when her car was stopped by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The actions they took would send chills down anyone's spine.
"When I hit the ground face first and felt the agents push down on my back, a sharp pain shot through my head, neck, and wrists," described Aliya. According to her, ICE agents pulled her from the car and pinned her down. Before that, they verbally assaulted her and threatened to smash her car windows.
She recently spoke about her experience right in Washington. Aliya Rahman was born in Wisconsin in the United States and currently lives in Minneapolis. She was diagnosed with autism and suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2024, which still requires her to see a doctor, where she was headed on that fateful day. The ICE agents completely ignored her medical condition during the arrest, worsening her condition.
Even though she is a legal resident of the United States and hadn't committed any crime (nor was she charged with one), ICE agents dragged her into a car and took her to a detention center. "The faces of the people inside that detention center haunt me," she told CNN.
Inhumane Behavior
After spending time with other detainees, she says she is now committed to speaking out about her experience, especially for those who, unlike her, did not make it home. Her brutal arrest was reportedly just the tip of the iceberg compared to what she saw at the Whipple detention center.
"As we approached the center, I saw people shackled together, with agents yelling at them," Aliya shared in Washington. "I kept hearing the word 'bodies'," she further described. "That's how the ICE agents referred to us, as 'bodies,' not as people." She added that such treatment made her afraid she might not leave the detention center alive.
"I didn't get any medical examination, couldn't call anyone, and wasn't allowed to consult a lawyer," she added. "They wouldn't even let me use my cane when I asked. They laughed at me and shouted that I could walk just fine." The agents only took her to a doctor after she fainted.
"We say we're a civilized nation, but we're missing rules and accountability for what we consider normal and permissible during ordinary law enforcement," she concluded in her speech. "I'm not afraid."
