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A Somali American woman who went viral for describing her identity as “bananas and rice” was one of 16 people arrested in Minneapolis and accused of participating in a riot as federal authorities escalated enforcement following clashes with protesters.
The woman, Nasra Ahmed, 23, of Minnesota, rose to national prominence after remarks she made during a Jan. 21 news conference comparing Somali American identity to a cultural mix she described as “bananas and rice,” a phrase that quickly spread across social media.
“It’s kind of like bananas and rice,” Ahmed said. “People don’t think you can eat bananas with rice, but that’s what it’s like to be Somali and American.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi said Wednesday she is in Minneapolis as federal authorities step up enforcement following recent unrest involving federal law enforcement, announcing the arrest of 16 people accused of assaulting or impeding federal agents.
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Nasra Ahmed, 23, was arrested for allegedly participating in a Minneapolis anti-ICE riot. She previously went viral for describing her Somali American identity using a “bananas and rice” food metaphor. (Attorney General Pam Bondi)
“I am on the ground in Minneapolis today,” Bondi wrote on X. “Federal agents have arrested 16 Minnesota rioters for allegedly assaulting federal law enforcement — people who have been resisting and impeding our federal law enforcement rights.”
“We expect more arrests to come,” Bondi added. “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: NOTHING will stop President Trump and this Department of Justice from enforcing the law.”
Bondi also shared the names and images of those charged under a federal law that makes it a crime to assault, resist, or impede federal officers while they are performing their official duties.
Those named include Christina Rank, Abdikadir Noor, Madeline Tschida, Nitzana Flores, Helicity Borowska, Quentin Williams, William Vermie, Paul Johnson, Gillian Etherington, Joshua Doyle, Kirubele Adbebe, Margaret Sager, Ilan Wilson-Soler, Ahmed, Alice Valentine and Matrim Charlebois.
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Protesters were arrested in Minneapolis after allegedly assaulting federal agents, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi. (Attorney General Pam Bondi/X and Getty Images)
The confrontations have intensified since the fatal shooting of 37-year-old American citizen Alex Pretti, who was killed Jan. 24 by Border Patrol agents during federal immigration enforcement operations in Minneapolis.
The shooting, the second fatal encounter involving federal agents in the city this month, has fueled ongoing protests and heightened tensions between demonstrators and law enforcement.
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An ICU nurse, Pretti appeared to be trying to help a woman who agents had knocked to the ground when he was sprayed with an irritant, shoved down, according to video and witness accounts. An agent was later seen removing his lawfully owned firearm from his waistband before other agents fired several shots, killing him.
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The incident followed unrest earlier this month over the ICE-involved killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis.
Justice Department officials have said protecting federal agents has become a priority amid rising confrontations during protests and enforcement actions.