A 23-year-old U. S.-born woman from Saint Paul, Minnesota, revealed that she sufferred concussion and was injured when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents grabbed her right outside her home. Her story is drawing attention to civil rights issues as federal immigration crackdowns ramp up in Minnesota.
At a press conference on Wednesday at the Minnesota State Capitol, Nasra Ahmed told reporters how a group of masked ICE agents cornered her near her apartment on January 14. She said she was just going about her day when they suddenly surrounded her.
“They came out of their cars. They asked to see my ID … They pushed me hard. They used a lot of violence. My body still hurts,” Ahmed can be heard telling the reporters in a now-viral video. She added that she hit the ground hard and ended up with a concussion. She even said that ICE agents called her the N-word while they detained her.
“I got kidnapped by ICE,” she said.
Ahmed remembered being handcuffed and pushed into a car, where she found another woman, a Native American U.S. citizen, who was also in custody and, according to Ahmed, mistreated. “We were holding each other tight. I’ll never forget the fear that we both felt in our hearts that day,” she said.
First, they took her to the Bishop Henry Whipple Federal Building at Fort Snelling, then transferred her to the Sherburne County Jail in Elk River. She spent two days there before they let her go, without any charges. Both her own account and local news confirm this. Ahmed still doesn’t understand why ICE picked her up in the first place since she has no criminal record.
State Representative Samakab Hussein, a Democrat from St. Paul who represents parts of the Somali community, joined Ahmed and called out ICE for racial profiling and intimidation, as reported by Fox 9. Hussein said his office regularly hears from residents who feel singled out by immigration enforcement, with agents questioning people for no apparent reason.
On social media platforms such as Reddit, the video has drawn huge criticism. One Reddit user commented, saying, “How can anyone be pro ice after watching this.” Another user added, “Never let them Whattaboutism this or anything else. Drill down to the racism.”
One user went on to highlight, “The most important point is not that a US citizen of colour was arrested and treated violently, but an original owner of these lands, a native American, was violently abused, arrested and left bleeding. Violence and racism are the point.”
A user poked at the irony of the situation, saying, “Is America great yet?”
Ahmed’s story isn’t happening in a vacuum. Lately, federal immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities has ramped up. Minnesota has seen a wave of ICE and Border Patrol activity, which has sparked protests and sharp criticism from civil-rights advocates and local leaders. They say these tactics are intimidating immigrant and Black communities.
