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By Khaleda Rahman
National Correspondent
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Aliya Rahman, a disabled woman who was one of Representative Ilhan Omar’s guests to the State of the Union on Tuesday, has told Newsweek about her ordeal after she was arrested for silently standing up during the address.
Rahman said two Capitol Police officers "dragged" her down a hallway outside the chamber after she was pulled out and took her to a secluded stairwell. "They were very much out of view, which is scary," she said.
She was arrested for unlawful conduct, disruption of Congress, after she “started demonstrating” during Trump’s address and refused to obey orders to sit down, the U.S. Capitol Police earlier told Newsweek.
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Rahman made headlines in January after she was filmed being dragged out of her car and detained by immigration officers while on her way to a medical appointment in Minneapolis last month. She was later released without charge. She testified about her experience at a congressional forum on the tactics and use of force by federal immigration agents earlier in February.
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Why It Matters
Rahman is disabled U.S. citizen with autism and a traumatic brain injury.
Minneapolis was recently at the center of the Trump administration’s recent immigration crackdown. The actions of immigration officers have come under heightened scrutiny following the fatal shootings of two U.S. citizens, Renee Good and Alex Pretti, by federal agents in Minneapolis last month.
What To Know
Rahman told Newsweek that people in the gallery where she was seated had been standing up and sitting down throughout the event.
"On this occasion, I was told that I couldn't stand up. And I was removed for that. When I was removed, as everybody can see in the photos, the people around me are also standing up. So that was a pretty confusing situation,” she said. “Before I could get clarity on that, they had their hands on me and started pulling me out.”
Rahman, who said she sustained two torn shoulders after January's incident, said officers continued pulling her towards the exit despite the protests of other guests to be less aggressive due to her injuries.
“I walk with a crutch and [officers] were kind of trying to take it,” she said.
“They opened the door and they put me in the hands of the Capitol Police who put handcuffs on me. At that point, nobody had said you're getting arrested, right? They just immediately put these handcuffs on and two cops, one grabbed each arm, and started dragging me down the hallway outside of the actual chamber. They took me to this back stairwell, where there weren't any other people. They were very much out of view, which is scary.
“All the way being dragged there, I was like, trying to slow them down and continue to insist, ‘stop trying to take my cane, I am disabled, do not pull me by my shoulders. I have serious injuries.’”
“They were not listening, and they kept saying, ‘no, you're fine, you can walk, you know, you're using your cane already, see? And I'm like, okay, well then don't pull on my arms.’”
She said a female officer who appeared to be higher-ranking later intervened and instructed the other officers not to move her and said they would get a wheelchair and provide medical care.
“That's when they stopped doing it,” Rahman said.
Newsweek has contacted the Capitol Police for comment via email.
Omar, a Minnesota Democrat, slammed Rahman’s arrest and has called for “a full explanation of why this arrest occurred.”
What People Are Saying
Rahman also told Newsweek: "I really just stood up like I had been throughout the night. No sign, no protest gear, no sounds. Other people are wearing shirts with writing, yelling. Nothing happens to them.”
Rahman’s attorney Jessica Gingold, of the MacArthur Justice Center, told Newsweek: “It is completely unprecedented for a person who's simply standing up at the State of the Union to be extracted, let alone criminally charged, and then actually prosecuted.”
“Our hope and the call from the MacArthur Justice Center and hopefully other members of Congress is that these charges are dropped and that she doesn't actually have to go through the stress and anxiety of being criminally prosecuted for simply standing up.”
Representative Ilhan Omar said in a statement 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.”
The U.S. Capitol Police said in a statement to Newsweek: "All State of the Union tickets clearly explain that demonstrating is prohibited. At approximately 10:07 p.m., a person in the House Gallery started demonstrating during tonight's State of the Union Address. The guest was told to sit down, but refused to obey our lawful orders.
What Happens Next
Rahman was given a citation release with a first appearance court date. Her attorney said they hope the case will be dismissed.
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