A Minneapolis woman invited as Rep. Ilhan Omar’s guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address was taken into custody and removed from the chamber during the address Feb. 24, 2026, an intense development that reignited debate over the administration’s increasingly aggressive immigration enforcement efforts.
Aliya Rahman, who had been violently apprehended by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents the month before, was removed from the Capitol by Capitol Police during the president’s remarks for what officials called a “disruption of Congress.” Rahman’s attorney described the arrest as “a blatant abuse of power,” claiming she was singled out for “simply standing in silence.”
Rahman said that she was injured during the confrontation and transported to the emergency room. After medical treatment, she was taken back into custody and accused of unlawful behavior, according to Rep. Omar. Rahman stated she was released from police custody shortly before 4 a.m. in Washington, D.C.
ICE actions in the Twin Cities have recently drawn widespread criticism from community members and public officials.
The ACLU has filed several lawsuits accusing the administration of violating the First Amendment rights of observers and protesters in Minnesota. More than 80 people submitted sworn statements claiming that federal officers told them their lawful monitoring activities were prohibited. Scarlet Kim, a senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy, and Technology Project, said most of the activities described were lawful. “In the vast majority of those examples, they’re engaged in perfectly lawful conduct,” Kim said.
The enforcement surge has also resulted in the wrongful detention of several U.S. citizens. ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a naturalized citizen for decades, was at his St. Paul residence when masked ICE agents broke down his door without a warrant and held him at gunpoint. Officers forced him outside in below-freezing weather, wearing only underwear, sandals, and a blanket, while his five-year-old grandson watched in tears. After detaining him for 1 to 2 hours, agents realized their error and released him without apology.
The Department of Homeland Security described the incident as part of a “targeted operation” aimed at two convicted sex offenders, a claim the family disputes.
In a separate case, 20-year-old Mubashir Khalif Hussen was walking to get lunch in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood on Dec. 10, 2025, when a masked federal agent sprinted toward him and tackled him. He was forced into a building hallway and detained despite showing his U.S. passport. After several hours, agents refused to return him to the site of the arrest, instructing him to walk the seven miles through the snow.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey criticized the arrest, 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 (now former) Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem demanding a review of the operations. “The forcefulness, lack of communication, and unlawful practices displayed by your agents will not be tolerated in Minnesota,” Walz stated.
The enforcement campaign has also turned deadly. ICE agent Jonathan Ross fatally shot Renee Good, a 37‑year‑old mother of three and U.S. citizen, on Jan. 7, 2026, while she sat in her car in Minneapolis. Video footage and witness testimony contradicted federal claims that she attempted to run over officers.
St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her condemned the federal operations: “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 over a dozen cases involving observers accused of obstructing officers. A federal judge in Los Angeles rejected the government’s argument that protesters tracking officers met the legal threshold for interfering with investigations. Likewise, most people arrested in Chicago for similar accusations were released without charges.
White House border czar Tom Homan defended the administration’s tactics during a Feb. 12 press conference, announcing the conclusion of Operation Metro Surge while warning that the government “will not tolerate unlawful actions committed by agitators who are just causing havoc.” Legal analysts note that observing, recording, and even following officers at a safe distance remain constitutionally protected.
Rahman’s arrest marked a rare instance of a congressional guest being removed from the president’s annual address.