The wife of a Tunisian immigrant detained during a recent immigration sweep in Southern California is speaking out about what she describes as inhumane treatment and legal irregularities in her husband’s case. Dr. Wafaa Alrashid, an American citizen and chief medical officer at a Los Angeles-area hospital, says her husband, Rami Othmane, a classical Arabic singer who has lived in the U.S. for a decade—was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on July 13 while walking to a local grocery store.
According to Alrashid, Othmane presented ICE officers with a valid receipt showing a pending green card application, filed shortly after the couple’s legal marriage in March 2025. Despite this, he was taken into custody. “When they arrested him, he was in flip-flops and a t-shirt. He had no chance to grab anything,” Alrashid said. “There are no blankets, no beds, no soap—nothing. The conditions are not fit for anyone, let alone someone with a medical condition.” Othmane, who previously faced a visa overstay case that was dismissed in 202.
