MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman whose violent arrest by immigration agents went viral in January has sued the federal government, alleging officers assaulted her, wrongfully detained her and left her with injuries she says she is still nursing ten months later.

Aliya Rahman filed the lawsuit in federal court in Minnesota on Tuesday, naming the U.S. government and laying out eight counts including assault, battery, false arrest, false imprisonment and negligent supervision.

Court filings and video reviewed by reporters show agents breaking her car window, elbowing her in the neck and back, and carrying her by her arms and legs during the January arrest, which took place as part of a federal immigration operation known as Operation Metro Surge. In widely shared footage, Rahman can be heard telling agents, "I am an autistic disabled person, and I'm trying to go to the doctor."

A charge that never came

Despite the forceful arrest, federal prosecutors never charged Rahman with a crime. Her attorneys say that fact undercuts the Department of Homeland Security's position that agents acted lawfully. The arrest happened less than a week after federal agents killed Renee Good a few blocks away during the same operation, intensifying scrutiny of the Minneapolis surge at the time.

Operation Metro Surge sent federal agents into the Minneapolis-St. Paul area for several weeks beginning in January, part of a broader immigration enforcement push that drew sustained local protests and multiple complaints of excessive force. Rahman's suit is the latest to allege officers used force disproportionate to the encounters they were responding to.

"I AM AN AUTISTIC DISABLED PERSON, AND I'M TRYING TO GO TO THE DOCTOR."

Rahman's case is at least the third lawsuit tied to Operation Metro Surge, according to court filings reported by Fox 9. In February, while Rahman testified before Congress about the arrest, ICE posted on social media that it "has the receipts" showing she impeded federal officers — a post the agency later deleted.

DHS said it is aware of the lawsuit and intends to defend itself vigorously in court, reiterating an earlier claim that its officers have qualified immunity for conduct carried out in the course of their duties. Rahman's attorneys dispute that the protection applies to the conduct captured on video. Both ICE and the Department of Justice declined to comment on the pending litigation.

What's next

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota, seeks damages for Rahman's physical and emotional injuries. No trial date has been set. Immigration attorneys say the case will test how far qualified immunity protections extend when enforcement footage is this explicit — and whether Operation Metro Surge draws further litigation as more video surfaces from that week in January.