Aliya Rahman, the disabled Minneapolis resident dragged out of her car and detained by federal immigration agents last January, has tried over and over to get some accountability from the government that harmed her.
asserted
that → drag → her
Today, she filed an assault and false imprisonment lawsuit against the federal government—one she hopes could be “copy and pasteable” onto other people’s cases.
uncertain
she → file → cases
“What happened to me is not just about ICE, and lawsuits are only one tool for fixing what is really going on,” Rahman said at a press conference Tuesday.
asserted
Rahman → happen → conference
“These things happened because it was already culturally normal for law enforcement officers to operate without accountability.”
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officers → happen → accountability
The day Rahman was arrested, the Department of Homeland Security’s X account posted a message “to all ICE officers,” telling them “you have federal immunity in the context of your duties.”
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you → arrest → duties
In the following months, Rahman tested every possible strategy to prove that statement false.
asserted
statement → follow → strategy
In February, Rahman testified before Congress that ICE agents smashed her windows, pulled her out of her car, ignored her assertions that she is a US citizen, taunted her for her disability, and withheld medical care until she blacked out on the floor of a cell.
asserted
she → testify → cell
She filed a tort claim against ICE and DHS this April, seeking personal injury damages through one of the few avenues an individual can legally use to sue an otherwise-unaccountable federal agency.
uncertain
individual → file → agency
Then, in June, Rahman filed a complaint with DHS’ internal Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties.
asserted
Rahman → file → Rights
But that office was gutted after Trump’s return to office, so Rahman didn’t expect much of a response.
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Rahman → gutte → response
“It’s hard to imagine that sending a letter to DHS to ask them to respect our civil rights will do anything,” she told me at the time.
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she → ’ → time
Rahman’s tort filing from April also went unanswered.
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filing → go → April
As the six-month timeline for a government response ran out, she filed a new lawsuit today, alleging assault and false imprisonment—and joining a growing number of people who are demanding legal restitution for violence done by ICE and DHS.
asserted
who → run → ICE
Carlos Jimenez, a US citizen from Southern California who was shot in the back and shoulder by an ICE agent, sued the government for $25 million yesterday; in August, 54 people represented by the ACLU filed tort claims over harm done by ICE agents nationwide.
uncertain
people → shoot → agents
“We followed their process; they didn’t respond,” Jessica Gingold of the MacArthur Justice Center, Rahman’s lawyer, said Tuesday, referring to Rahman’s previous attempts at accountability.
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Gingold → follow → accountability
“Nearly seven months later, we have heard nothing.
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we → hear → nothing
The federal government has chosen to hide.”
asserted
government → choose → ?
The names of the officers who hurt Rahman are currently unknown.
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who → hurt → Rahman
Through the lawsuit process, Gingold said, they will be unmasked.
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they → say → process
“We have their pictures; we have a right to know their names.
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we → have → names
We have a right to depose them.
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We → have → them
We have a right to get their records.”
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We → have → records
Images of the six masked officers who were there that day are attached to the lawsuit as an exhibit.
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who → attach → exhibit
Almost a year since the beginning of Operation Metro Surge, Rahman is far from the only Twin Cities resident still dealing with the repercussions of ICE’s months-long occupation.
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Rahman → deal → occupation
As the global NGO Human Rights Watch wrote in June, the ICE operation—which left two civilian protesters dead and entire communities traumatized—was a “humanitarian crisis.”
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which → write → protesters
The city of Minneapolis estimates that the surge caused $700 million in damages; the Department of Homeland Security says 4,000 people were detained.
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people → estimate → Security
But months after the ouster of former Border Patrol commander-at-large Gregory Bovino and ICE’s partial retreat from Minnesota, Rahman says the fight isn’t over.
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fight → say → Minnesota
Less than two weeks ago, an investigation by KARE 11 revealed that the Trump administration used taxpayer funds to purchase a detention center in Western Minnesota from CoreCivic—for $420 million more than the building was worth.
asserted
building → reveal → more
“When I see ICE Out signs, I wonder what they mean now,” Rahman said Tuesday.
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Rahman → see → what
Getting rid of ICE in Minnesota, she said, means addressing the cash bail industry, extractive prison labor, and qualified immunity for police.
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she → rid → police
“I desperately hope that beyond pushing Greg Bovino out of town, we will fight the things that gave rise to Metro Surge.
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that → hope → Surge
Those are the body parts ICE is made of.”
asserted
ICE → make → ?
The Aporia
