Ilhan Omar's State of the Union guest will face no charges after arrest at speech

Elliot Hughes, Star Tribune on Mar 19, 2026

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Aliya Rahman, whose arrest during Operation Metro Surge in Minneapolis went viral, will not face charges after she was arrested at President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech in February.

Rahman, a south Minneapolis resident, attended the speech as a guest of U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar. The Democrat’s office said Rahman was removed from the House chamber for standing up silently after Trump made disparaging remarks about Minnesota’s Somali community.

“The government did the right thing today when it ultimately decided not to file any criminal charges against Aliya,” Jessica Gingold, an attorney for Rahman, said in a statement on Thursday. “Aliya should never have been arrested in the first place – she committed no crime and did nothing wrong.”

U.S. Capitol Police said Rahman was told to sit back down but refused to do so. It is illegal to disrupt Congress and demonstrate in congressional buildings, police said.

Omar said Rahman was “aggressively handled” when officers arrested her at the Feb. 24 speech. She said other guests were also standing at the time. Rahman was taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment.

“For the second time in two months I was arrested in a heavy-handed way for committing no crime,” Rahman said in a statement. “I am grateful that the government chose not to file charges. I will continue my steadfast focus on helping my community in Minneapolis and healing from the wounds inflicted on me by my own government.”

Rahman, 43, was the subject of viral videos in January when federal immigration agents pulled her from a vehicle and carried her down a street in Minneapolis.

During testimony before members of Congress in February, she described herself as a disabled person with autism and a traumatic brain injury, and had been driving to a medical appointment when she encountered federal agents. She said she suffered injuries during her detainment.