LOS ANGELES (AP) – Dr. Wafaa Alrashid, the chief medical officer at Huntington Hospital in the Los Angeles area, has witnessed a significant decline in her Latino patients attending appointments, a trend linked to increasing fear spurred by immigration raids within the community. This fear, she shares on a personal level, is exacerbated by the apprehensions surrounding her husband, Rami Othmane, a Tunisian musician, who has carried around a receipt for his pending green card application as a reminder of his precarious legal status.
Recent months have seen immigration agents arresting hundreds in Southern California, leading to substantial protests against these federal actions and the deployment of military resources like the National Guard and Marines. Othmane, a legal permanent resident who has been living in the U.S. for a decade, found himself caught up in this crackdown despite having a dismissed deportation order from 2020 and a pending green card application after marrying Alrashid in March 2025.
On July 13, 2025, while driving to a grocery store in Pasadena, Othmane was stopped by immigration agents. Alrashid recounted the harrowing experience of witnessing her husband's arrest via FaceTime. He displayed his legal paperwork, but the agents ordered him out of the vehicle regardless, leaving Alrashid terrified as she observed the vehicle carrying him away.
Alrashid, reflecting on that day, described it as “the worst day of my life.” The Trump administration's stringent immigration policies have not only impacted those without legal status but also legal residents like Othmane. Some U.S. citizens and asylum-seekers have similarly faced arrests, reinforcing a climate of fear among those in the community awaiting their hearings.
After his arrest, Othmane was taken to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in downtown Los Angeles, where Alrashid detailed his inhumane conditions, describing a cold room lacking basic necessities such as beds, blankets, and toiletries. The Department of Homeland Security acknowledged the expiration of his tourist visa but ignored the dismissed deportation order and the pending green card application, asserting that the well-being of individuals in ICE custody remains a top priority.
Othmane, known for performing classical Arabic music across Southern California, met Alrashid while he was singing at a restaurant. She praised his kindness, recounting how he had shared a sweater she sent with him and went out of his way to provide privacy for other detainees by improvising a barrier around the open toilet using trash bags. "He’s brought a lot to the community; a lot of people love his music," Alrashid expressed.
More than a week after his arrest, a rally outside the detention facility showcased the support from fellow musicians, activists, and immigration advocates who joined Alrashid in solidarity. They performed classical Arabic music, intending for the sound to reach the detainees inside—a potent symbol of love and resistance. Pablo Alvarado, co-executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network, noted that in Latin American culture, serenading those in captivity is an expression of both kindness and defiance.
Leading up to the rally, Alrashid faced anxiety due to a lack of communication with her husband; she had not received his customary daily call and was informed that she could not visit him. Fortunately, she finally managed to connect with him later that evening, only to hear he had been moved to an immigration detention facility in Arizona and was dealing with a swollen leg.
In the face of these challenges, Alrashid remains hopeful about securing Othmane's release on bail while their case proceeds. They recently had a procedural hearing, where the judge confirmed Othmane's immigration status, and a bail bond hearing is scheduled for Tuesday. Until then, Alrashid continues to wait anxiously for his next phone call, maintaining her commitment to advocate for him and others in similar situations.
