ICE agents forced open the door of a St. Paul home without a warrant. They detained a U.S. citizen at gunpoint and took him outside in freezing weather while he wore only underwear, based on the man, his family, and video reviewed by news outlets.
ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, a naturalized U.S. citizen who has lived in the United States for decades, told reporters that the agents refused to look at his identification. They took him from the home as his family protested, according to the Associated Press.
Thao said agents arrived on January 19 looking for two convicted sex offenders. They pushed into the house after his family opened the door. He claims the agents held him at gunpoint, wrapped him in a blanket, and took him outside in boxer shorts and Crocs while temperatures were well below freezing, according to Reuters.
“I was shaking,” Thao told the AP, describing what happened after agents pulled him from the house.
Later, Thao spoke about the encounter, expressing confusion about why agents treated him as a suspect and why they would not verify his identity at home, according to the AP report and another account from PBS NewsHour.
The Department of Homeland Security said the operation targeted two convicted sex offenders believed to be linked to the address. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told Reuters that Thao “matched the description of the wanted individual” and that agents detained him after he “refused to identify himself.”
Thao and his family disagreed with the government’s account. They told the AP that no one matching DHS’s description lived at their home. They said agents stopped him from getting his identification and then wouldn’t look at it when family members tried to provide it.
After taking Thao away, he said agents drove him to a remote location, photographed him, and eventually returned him home hours later after confirming his citizenship, according to the AP. Reuters reported that agents released him without explanation or apology.
The incident drew criticism from local officials. St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter called the operation “un-American,” the AP reported. City leaders also wanted answers about why agents entered without a warrant and detained the wrong person.
Thao plans to file a civil rights lawsuit, according to the AP and The Guardian.
This case emerged amid increased attention on immigration enforcement actions in Minnesota. The AP reported that the Twin Cities area has seen several aggressive encounters involving federal agents, including a recent fatal shooting involving an ICE officer in Minneapolis that has attracted public scrutiny and political backlash.
In its statement to the AP, DHS said agents acted to protect public safety during an operation aimed at capturing convicted offenders. The agency later released photos of the suspects it said it sought, but officials did not link those individuals to Thao, according to the AP.
Thao said after the encounter that the episode left him fearful in his own home and angry that the agents did not check his identification before detaining him, the AP reported.
