WASHINGTON, D.C. February 24, 2026 — U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minnesota) has invited Aliya Rahman — a U.S. citizen who was forcibly dragged from her car by ICE agents in Minneapolis — as one of her guests to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Omar declared: “I am incredibly proud to have Aliya as one of my SOTU guests. We will not let Donald Trump and the Republican Party rewrite or ignore what happened in Minnesota. We are Minnesota Strong. 💪🏽”
Rahman, a Bangladeshi-American software engineer living in South Minneapolis, has autism and a traumatic brain injury. On January 13, 2026, while driving to a doctor’s appointment for her TBI, she was caught in heavy traffic caused by ICE’s “Operation Metro Surge.”
Viral video footage shows federal agents smashing the passenger window of her Ford Fusion, cutting her seatbelt, and physically dragging her out of the vehicle as she repeatedly shouted that she was disabled, autistic, and a U.S. citizen heading to a medical appointment. She was detained at the Whipple Federal Building, where she alleged severe medical neglect before being hospitalized for injuries including torn shoulder tendons and cartilage. No charges were ever filed against her.
Omar’s congressional office confirmed Rahman is one of four Minnesota constituents invited to spotlight the human impact of aggressive ICE operations in the state. The other guests are Mary Granlund (Columbia Heights School Board chair), Mubashir Hussen, and Gerardo Orozco Guzman.
Rahman has since testified before Congress, describing the lasting trauma and calling for accountability in federal enforcement actions.
The announcement comes as Democrats use high-profile SOTU guests to push back against the Trump administration’s immigration policies. Reports also indicate multiple survivors of Jeffrey Epstein will attend as guests of Democratic lawmakers.
Omar’s choice of Rahman underscores deep partisan divisions over immigration enforcement in Minnesota, where “Operation Metro Surge” has sparked widespread protests and criticism of alleged overreach affecting U.S. citizens and legal residents alike.
The congresswoman has attended every State of the Union since entering Congress in 2019 and stated she will not cede the floor despite disagreements with the president.
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