A Minneapolis woman invited to attend President Donald Trump’s State of the Union as Representative Ilhan Omar’s guest was arrested and taken out of the chamber on Tuesday night, Feb. 24, 2026 — a dramatic incident that reignited intense debate over the administration’s expanding immigration enforcement tactics.
Aliya Rahman, who had been violently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents the month prior, was removed from the Capitol by Capitol Police during the speech for what officers described as “disruption of Congress.” Her attorney denounced the action as “a blatant abuse of power,” asserting she was targeted for “simply standing in silence.”
Rahman reported being injured during the confrontation and taken to the emergency room. After receiving medical care, she was placed under arrest and accused of unlawful conduct, according to Representative Omar. Rahman said she was released from custody shortly before 4 a.m. in Washington, D.C.
ICE operations across the Twin Cities have recently triggered broad public outrage from community members and local leaders.
The ACLU has filed several lawsuits accusing the administration of violating the First Amendment rights of observers and protesters in Minnesota. More than 80 individuals submitted sworn statements alleging that federal officers falsely warned them that their lawful monitoring activities were illegal. Scarlet Kim, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, rejected the government’s characterization. “In the vast majority of those cases, they’re engaging in perfectly lawful conduct,” Kim told reporters.
The enforcement surge has also led to the wrongful detention of multiple U.S. citizens. ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a longtime naturalized citizen, was at home in St. Paul when masked ICE agents burst through his door without a warrant and detained him at gunpoint. Agents marched him outside in below-freezing temperatures wearing only underwear, sandals, and a blanket while his five-year-old grandson cried. After one to two hours, agents realized he was not the person they sought and released him without apology.
The Department of Homeland Security described the action as a “targeted operation” aimed at locating two convicted sex offenders, a claim the family disputes.
In a separate incident, 20-year-old Mubashir Khalif Hussen was walking to get lunch in Cedar-Riverside on Dec. 10, 2025, when a masked federal officer sprinted toward him and tackled him. He was dragged into a building’s back hallway and detained despite producing his U.S. passport. After hours in custody, agents declined to transport him back to where he had been arrested, instructing him to walk the seven miles through the snow.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey condemned the incident, saying Mubashir was “taken into custody for no reason at all, in clear violation of law and the Constitution of the United States for simply walking down the street and looking like he’s Somali.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding an investigation into recent operations. “The forcefulness, lack of communication, and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” Walz stated.
The uptick in enforcement has also turned deadly. ICE agent Jonathan Ross shot and killed Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three and a U.S. citizen, on Jan. 7, 2026, as she sat in her car in Minneapolis. Witness accounts and video evidence contested federal claims that she attempted to run over officers.
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her strongly criticized federal actions: “ICE is not doing what they say they’re doing. They’re not going after hardened criminals. They’re going after anyone and everyone in their path. It is unacceptable and un-American.”
Federal prosecutors in Minnesota have withdrawn or dismissed charges in more than a dozen cases in which observers were accused of obstructing officers. A federal judge in Los Angeles dismissed similar government arguments, ruling that protesters tracking officers did not meet the legal threshold for interference. In Chicago, most individuals arrested for obstruction were released without charges.
White House border czar Tom Homan defended the administration’s strategy during a Feb. 12 press briefing, announcing the end of Operation Metro Surge but warning that the government “will not tolerate unlawful actions committed by agitators who are just causing havoc.” Legal experts emphasize that observing, recording, and even following officers at a safe distance remain protected activities under the Constitution.
Rahman’s removal from the State of the Union marks a rare instance of a congressional guest being ejected from the president’s annual address.
