Last week, the County Attorney of Hennepin County in Minnesota successfully prosecuted a case of police harassment. The Customs Enforcement (ICE) officer was charged with two counts of second-degree assault for pointing a gun at two individuals on Highway 62. Now, a set of officers is about to face the same fate.
The unfortunate highway incident occurred at the height of Operation Metro Surge, an ICE operation. The operation was allegedly meant to weed out illegal immigrants, but it seems to have caused pain to innocent citizens as well.
A US Citizen Manhandled by ICE
In January this year, a lady from Minneapolis had an ugly encounter with ICE officers. The lady, whose name is Aliya Rahman, is a US citizen, but she still ended up in an ICE detention center. She says she was on her way to the hospital when ICE officers confronted her, and she told them so.
Yet they arrested her and held her in custody without access to medical treatment. Moreover, she informed them that she had a disability, but that did not stop them from manhandling her. It has been established that Ms. Rahman attends regular clinic at a Traumatic Brain Injury Center.
There is a picture circulating online of big hooded men dragging away a woman believed to be Aliya Rahman, as others in the same gear follow.
Ms. Rahman explained to the local media that an officer had banged on the car window opposite her seat, yet the window next to her was lowered. She then explained how the arresting officers had ignored her plea for either a cane or a wheelchair once they reached their station. They forced her to walk as they took her into custody.
Later, Ms. Rahman collapsed in the cell, and only then did someone seek medical help. She says she woke up in a hospital hours later, where she was being treated for an apparent assault and concussion.
Some observers reported having seen Ms. Rahman’s car window smashed by an ICE officer, as others forced open her door and cut off her seatbelt before pulling her out.
According to Rahman’s attorneys, the ICE officers ultimately did not charge her with any offense. They also never gave her any paperwork regarding her arrest or anything else. They just left her traumatized and with physical hurt to heal.
One of her attorneys, Jessica Gingold, underlined the illegality of the officers’ actions regarding Ms. Rahman. She said they battered and assaulted her, and neglected to give her access to medical care.
Attorney Moriarty Giving Hope
On April 16, the Hennepin County Attorney said at a Press Conference that the prosecution of Officer Gregory Donnell Morgan Jr. would not be the last of its kind. Aliya Rahman’s case confirms this.
Ms. Rahman is seeking legal remedy against the Homeland Security Department for its officers’ wrongful and illegal actions, including wrongful arrest. More such cases could be on the way, as Attorney Moriarty seeks justice for the harassment meted out to the residents of Minnesota, and more so, Minneapolis.