A guest of Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) at Tuesday’s event was arrested for standing during the address to Congress.

Omar stated Wednesday that her guest—Aliya Rahman, a U.S. citizen with disabilities who had a physical confrontation with federal immigration agents in Minneapolis in January—“stood up quietly in the gallery during the president’s speech for a brief time” and was “forcibly removed” from the House chamber, “ultimately facing charges of ‘Unlawful Conduct.’” 

Unlawful conduct, particularly in this context, is an offense punishable by up to 6 months in prison or a fine of up to $500.

U.S. Capitol Police, in a statement, said that around 10:07 p.m., a guest in the House gallery “began demonstrating.” Rahman was “instructed to sit down but refused to comply with our lawful orders.

“It is illegal to disrupt Congress and demonstrate in Congressional Buildings,” the statement noted. 

Photos of the incident show Rahman being escorted out of the chamber. Omar added that, based on reports, her guest was “aggressively handled until an individual intervened to arrange medical attention.” She said Rahman was then taken to George Washington University Hospital for treatment and later processed at Capitol Police headquarters.   

Omar described the response to a “peaceful guest” as “heavy-handed” and said it “sends a chilling message about the state of our democracy.” Capitol Police, however, stated in their release that “all State of the Union tickets clearly outline that demonstrating is prohibited.”

Rahman, 43, was released early Wednesday morning. Speaking to [outlet], she said the sergeant-at-arms told her she was arrested for “standing up silently,” and she claimed officers only stopped pulling on her “when their own sergeant intervened” in a back stairwell.

“I was physically arrested to such an extent that two other attendees upstairs tried to intervene as officers pulled on my shoulders after I informed them I have a torn rotator cuff tendon and multiple cartilage tears in both shoulders,” Rahman added. 

Disruptions during presidential State of the Union speeches are not unprecedented. Many Democrats, including Rep. Al Green of Texas, have similarly been escorted out of the House chamber. 

Omar herself was seen shouting “” when the President criticized alleged corruption in [location]. And when Trump addressed illegal immigration, Omar yelled, “You’ve killed Americans!” prompting the President to retort: “You should be ashamed of yourself.” 

The Minnesota lawmaker said Wednesday she did not regret shouting at Trump during his speech. She also noted that Rahman, following her arrest, was “back and safe.”

Who is Aliya Rahman?

Rahman, a Bangladeshi-American software engineer, resides in Minneapolis and lives with autism and a traumatic brain injury. Rahman made headlines in January after a video of federal agents forcibly removing her from her car during an immigration crackdown in Minneapolis went viral. In the footage, Rahman—en route to a medical appointment on Jan. 13—was dragged from the vehicle and carried by federal agents by her limbs as she cried out about her disability.

Rahman was later taken to ICE’s detention center at the Whipple Federal Building. In congressional testimony, she condemned the “severe” toll on her physical, mental, and emotional health, detailing how federal immigration agents treated detainees and alleging she was mistreated and denied medical care while in detention.

The Department of Homeland Security labeled Rahman an “agitator” who “ignored multiple commands by an officer to move her vehicle away from the scene” and was thus “arrested for obstruction.” 

Speaking to [outlet] before Trump’s State of the Union, Rahman said, “I’ve spent the last month learning the names of the tendons in my shoulder—because both of my shoulders are torn, cartilage and tendon, right—but what I haven’t learned is the names of the people who did this to me.”

“But honestly, the thing that concerns me far more than myself is that this is an ongoing fear and threat for people across this country,” Rahman added. “What happened to me is far from new in this country’s history, and we’ve seen no accountability that would make me believe this won’t happen to someone else.”