ICA Stands with Aliya Rahman
Indigenous Climate Action (ICA) expresses our support for Aliya Rahman, a longtime supporter of our community who has recently faced targeting by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
On January 13, 2026, Aliya was detained by ICE. More recently, she was arrested during the State of the Union address on February 24, 2026. These events raise serious concerns about Aliya’s safety, well-being, and the broader treatment of migrants and advocates in the United States.
Aliya has supported ICA’s work since 2020 in a variety of ways, contributing her time, care, and solidarity to movements rooted in justice and collective responsibility. The actions taken against her are deeply concerning and reflect broader systems that continue to criminalize and endanger migrants and those who speak out against injustice.
Aliya recently shared the following reflection on her experience:
"My body is in bad shape but my spirit is strong. As horrific as it has been, I was the best-case scenario because I got out and I lived. A lot of people didn't for 400 years. And a lot of people won't, as these people open more camps. I wake up thinking about the people inside that detention center."
"You know what else? The detention camp we were held in is on the same ground that was a concentration camp for Dakota people in 1862. None of these things are separate."
Aliya’s reflections point to a deeper truth: the systems that detain, displace, and criminalize migrants today are connected to a long history of colonial state violence against Indigenous peoples. The lands where detention centres are built, the policies that enforce borders, and the structures that perpetuate surveillance and incarceration are part of ongoing colonial systems that harm both Indigenous and migrant communities.
Indigenous Climate Action stands in solidarity with Aliya and with all those impacted by these systems of harm. We call for compassion, fairness, and justice in how migrants and advocates are treated, and we encourage our community to listen to Aliya’s full statement and learn more about the broader impacts of detention and ICE operations.
ICA remains committed to supporting Aliya during this difficult time and to standing alongside communities resisting colonial violence and defending human dignity.
