(NewsNation) — A disabled woman on her way to a medical appointment who was dragged out of her car by federal immigration officers says she feels “lucky to be alive.”
Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen, was on her way to a doctor’s appointment in Minneapolis when she encountered federal agents at an intersection. Video of her arrest went viral online, and it appears to show a masked agent smashing Rahman’s passenger side window and others cutting her seatbelt. It also shows them dragging her out of her car through the driver’s side door and guards carrying her by her arms and legs.
“These last few days have been traumatizing and overwhelming,” Rahman told Newsweek. “First and foremost, I feel lucky to be alive. What I thought would be a routine trip to my appointment at the Traumatic Brain Injury Center turned into an assault by federal agents.”
Minneapolis has been the center of nationwide protests against immigration authorities in recent weeks, which began with the fatal shooting of Minneapolis woman Renee Nicole Good.
“Masked agents dragged me from my car and bound me like an animal, even after I told them that I was disabled,” Rahman said. “This happened just two blocks from where Renee Good was murdered, so I am very aware that this confrontation could have ended differently for me.”