Bangladeshi-origin woman pulled from car by ICE agents in Minneapolis, says New York Post

United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents have forcibly dragged out a woman from a car and detained her in Minneapolis, in the US state of Minnesota, according to a report by the New York Post.

The woman, identified as Aliya Rahman, is a software engineer and a human rights and LGBT rights activist. She spent a significant part of her childhood in Bangladesh, according to the report.

The incident, captured in widely shared footage, shows masked federal agents breaking a car window and pulling out Aliya after she allegedly blocked ICE vehicles during a protest on Tuesday.

The report said that the confrontation occurred days after a fatal police shooting nearby.

In the video, she can be heard saying she was “disabled” and “trying to get to the doctor” as agents handcuffed her and led her away amid shouts from protesters.

Aliya, 43, is a Minneapolis-based “community-focused security practitioner”, according to her LinkedIn profile cited by the New York Post.

Her career spans software development and engineering management roles across several technology-focused organisations. On social media platform X, she describes herself as a “friendly neighbourhood deniable asset”.

The Post reported that she has been associated with multiple advocacy groups and social justice causes, including support for police body-camera policies and a decade-long involvement with the Black Lives Matter movement. She has also backed pro-Palestinian causes, according to her social media activity.

Aliya previously served as a fellow at New America’s Open Technology Institute, where her work focused on integrating police body cameras into public policy, the report said.

Her professional biography describes experience in legislative and community organising for racial and criminal justice campaigns, alongside years of software development work for social justice initiatives.

The New York Post also highlighted Aliya’s Bangladeshi connection. Although born in the United States, she moved with her family to Bangladesh few years later.

In her profile cited by the Post, Aliya said her worldview was shaped by witnessing labour protests and political activism during her childhood there.

She later returned to the US for college, saying she felt unable to remain in Bangladesh while coming to terms with her queer identity, the report added.

Aliya has identified herself as “genderqueer” in past profiles referenced by the Post.

According to the New York Post, Aliya became more deeply involved in activism following the September 11 attacks, which she said claimed the lives of two cousins. She later worked with or volunteered for organisations including Center for Community Change, Equality Ohio and Code for Progress.

Federal agents accused Aliya of “impeding an immigration enforcement operation” during Tuesday’s protest. Footage shows agents ordering her to move her vehicle before smashing a window and unlocking the car door to remove her.

It was not immediately clear whether she was formally charged following the incident, the Post reported.

Public records cited by the newspaper show that Aliya had several minor legal cases more than a decade ago, including convictions related to trespassing, disorderly conduct and driving offences in Ohio and Illinois.

The New York Post said its attempts to contact Aliya for comment were unsuccessful.