Tunisian man speaks out after being held in ICE detention in downtown LA for 13 days
"I was worried that I'm going to die," Rami Othmane said in an interview with ABC7.
ALTADENA, Calif. (KABC) -- The husband of the chief medical officer at Pasadena's Huntington Hospital spoke out Friday after being detained and held in immigration detention for more than two weeks.
"I was worried that I'm going to die," Rami Othmane, who was back home after being released, said in an interview with ABC7.
On July 13, Othmane was stopped while driving to a grocery store in Pasadena. He quickly pulled out his paperwork to show federal immigration agents.
His wife, Dr. Wafaa Alrashid, heard the officers say "Please step out of the car" as she watched her husband's arrest in horror over FaceTime.
Alrashid immediately jumped in her car and followed her phone to his location. She arrived just in time to see the outline of his head in the back of a vehicle driving away.
"You don't know who are these people following you. They are unmarked cars, so you don't really understand who are these people," Othmane said.
"They take him from you, your entire world stops," Alrashid said.
After his arrest, he was taken to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in downtown Los Angeles, where he was held for 13 days.
"No sleep, snacks only, no toothbrush," Othmane said. "I didn't brush my teeth for 13 days. These are inhumane conditions."
The Trump administration's crackdown on illegal immigration has ensnared not only immigrants without legal status but legal permanent residents like Othmane who has green cards. Some U.S. citizens have even been arrested. Meanwhile, many asylum-seekers who have regular check-in appointments are being arrested in the hallways outside courtrooms as the White House works toward its promise of mass deportations.
Alrashid said her husband has been in the U.S. since 2015 and overstayed his visa, but his deportation order was dismissed in 2020. They wed in March 2025 and immediately filed for a green card.
In a statement earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security noted the expiration of his tourist visa but did not address the dismissal of the deportation order in 2020 nor his pending green card application.
Alrashid on Friday said she was just happy that her husband was released and was back home.
"He's nice to people. While he was there he was kind to everybody," Alrashid said. "Even the officers in the detention center and in the Federal Building liked him because he was so kind to them."
Othmane is out of custody but is now wearing an ankle monitor and has to stay within a 70-mile radius of Los Angeles.
"I'm handling things well," he said. "I'm just happy I'm back to my family. I'm happy I'm safe."
He said that despite his ordeal, he's not angry with the government.
"No, I love this country," Othmane said. "I never blame a country for mistakes that can happen. I just want these mistake to not happen to anyone."
Alrashid said for years her husband has performed classical Arabic music across Southern California. They first met when he was singing at a restaurant.
"The ankle monitor is definitely weighing us down," she said. "He couldn't do his production, his taping the other day at a studio he loves in Temecula because it's over 70 miles away."
Although Othmane is back home, he still doesn't know how long the process of legalization will take. There is still uncertainty and the couple says it will involve more court hearings and could take months.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
