Minneapolis woman dragged from car and detained by federal agents sues government

Louis Krauss, Star Tribune on Nov 10, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman captured in a viral video of federal immigration agents dragging her from her car during Operation Metro Surge last winter has sued the federal government, alleging they used excessive force and violated her constitutional rights.

Aliya Rahman, a Bangladeshi-American who is autistic, alleges that agents committed eight tort claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act. That includes assault, battery, false arrest and imprisonment, and negligence, as Rahman seeks an unspecified amount of monetary damages. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The suit also alleges officers at the Whipple Federal Building waited about 30 minutes to call 911 after Rahman’s cellmate reported she was lying unresponsive on the cell floor

Rahman initiated the legal action in April when she filed what’s known as a tort claim against the government. Because it never responded in the six-month window after the tort claim, she can now pursue the lawsuit.

“What happened to Aliya is not a result of just a couple of rogue officers; it is the result of a lawless and negligent government encouraging and egging on officers who were recklessly and systemically violating the rights of individuals,” said Rahman’s attorney Jessica Gingold, one of several lawyers from the MacArthur Justice Center.

Two nonprofit directors joined Rahman and her attorneys at a Tuesday news conference at the Sabathani Community Center. Francisco Segovia, executive director of Communities Organizing Latine Power and Action (COPAL), said Rahman’s violent arrest shows how ICE’s tactics were harmful to everyone from immigrants to people with disabilities.

“By refusing to remain silent, Aliya is helping expose what happened and demanding accountability, not only for herself, but protecting all of us,” Segovia said.

Rahman, who sustained a traumatic brain injury in 2024, was detained on Jan. 13 after she happened upon a federal agent blockade along Park Avenue in south Minneapolis while she was driving to a doctor’s appointment.

Agents had closed the street that morning to make an immigration arrest, and were not letting protesters or vehicles through.

After minutes of yelling between the agents and Rahman, who came to a stop at the blockade, the agents shattered Rahman’s window and cut her seat belt off with a knife before others pulled her out onto the pavement and handcuffed her. Four agents picked Rahman up by each of her limbs to carry her face down to an unmarked vehicle. The agents pulling her arms injured her shoulders, the lawsuit alleges.

ICE accused Rahman in a Feb. 6 post on X of “impeding or interfering with federal officers” for not driving away from the scene east on 34th Street, though she was never charged. Rahman said she was confused by agents shouting conflicting instructions to both get out of the car and to drive away, and was afraid for bystanders’ safety.

She was then driven to the Whipple Federal Building, where agents mocked her disabilities and she was placed in a cell, the suit alleges.

While in the cell, Rahman felt “severe head pain,” “blurred vision and slurred speech,” and eventually became unconscious, the suit says. The federal officers allegedly waited about 30 minutes after her cellmate reported that Rahman was unresponsive on the floor before they called for emergency help.

Videos of Rahman’s initial arrest went viral, showing what many said were overly aggressive and poor tactics commonly used by federal agents during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota.

Through the lawsuit, the attorneys said they plan to identify the masked agents who carried out the arrest, and reveal more of the “systems that harmed Aliya and so many others.”

While she believes her lawsuit has garnered more headlines than some other arrests due to her being a citizen and not being charged with a crime, Rahman stressed that she wants all residents to know they are entitled to humane treatment by law enforcement, regardless of immigration status or whether someone is incarcerated.

“Should someone really face state-sanctioned violence because of their citizenship or because they are serving a sentence?” Rahman said. “The answer is no, and it should always be no.”

_____