Poor Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) likely felt as though she was navigating a minefield Tuesday night. After angrily lashing out at President Trump during his State of the Union address, her invited guest for the evening, Minnesota anti-ICE agitator Aliya Rahman, was arrested. And the outraged congresswoman is demanding a full investigation. According to Omar, Rahman was forcibly removed from the chamber by U.S. Capitol Police officers for merely standing silently in the gallery for a short period of time.
The New York Times reported that Rahman, 43, “could be heard shouting for someone to call Ms. Omar, and that all she had done was stand up.”
Omar issued a statement about the incident on Wednesday:
My guest, Aliya Rahman, stood up silently in the gallery during the president’s speech for a short period of time, part of which other guests were also standing. For that, she was forcibly removed, despite warning officers about her injured shoulders and ultimately charged with ‘Unlawful Conduct.’Reports indicate she was aggressively handled until someone intervened to secure medical attention. She was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later booked at the United States Capitol Police headquarters.The heavy-handed response to a peaceful guest sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy. I am calling for a full explanation of why this arrest occurred.
Responding to a request for comment from the Times, the Capitol Police noted, “All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited. The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders.”
Unlawful Conduct is a misdemeanor charge. Rahman faces a maximum fine of $500 and up to six months behind bars.
Rahman made headlines in January for interfering with an ICE operation in Minneapolis. Authorities said she used her vehicle to block ICE agents and ignored repeated instructions to move. The situation escalated, and agents ultimately removed her from the car after she refused to comply. Although she was detained by ICE agents, she was ultimately released without charges.
After being pulled out of the vehicle, she shouted that she was disabled and needed to get to a doctor’s appointment.
Rahman was so belligerent that the video of the incident went viral.
In February, Rahman testified at a hearing held by congressional Democrats on Capitol Hill. She told lawmakers:
I was carried facedown through the streets by my cuffed arms and legs while yelling that I had a brain injury and was disabled. I now cannot lift my arms normally. I was never asked for ID. Never told I was under arrest. Never read my rights. And never charged with a crime.
After being escorted from the House chamber on Tuesday night, Rahman — who says she is disabled — was transported to a hospital. Following her release, she was arrested by Capitol Police officers.
On Wednesday morning, she found time for an interview with left-wing media outlet Democracy Now. The headline for the interview story read, “Jailed for ‘Standing Up’: DHS Assault Victim Aliya Rahman Arrested at State of the Union Address.”
And Rahman was very comfortable playing the role of a victim. She said she had not “just been removed and arrested,” she had been “arrested so physically that two other attendees upstairs attempted to intervene in officers pulling on my shoulders after I told them I have a torn rotator cuff tendon and multiple cartilage tears in both of my shoulders.”
Then she detailed the injuries she sustained when she was pulled out of her car by ICE agents in January.
It is unclear whether she is, in fact, disabled or not. But assuming she is, it raises some obvious questions: Why does she continue to place herself in situations where she could be injured? And why does she repeatedly refuse to comply with law enforcement instructions?
Maybe it’s because she’s a radical left-wing agitator. And, rather than being a concern, perhaps being roughed up by law enforcement is the goal.
Elizabeth writes commentary for Legal Insurrection and The Washington Examiner. She is an academy fellow at The Heritage Foundation. Please follow Elizabeth on X or LinkedIn.
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