Federal immigration agents reportedly forced their way into the home of a U.S. citizen in St. Paul, Minnesota, detaining him at gunpoint without a warrant, according to his family and video evidence reviewed by the Associated Press. ChongLy “Scott” Thao described the incident, which occurred on a Sunday afternoon, when his daughter-in-law informed him that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were at their door. Despite his urging not to open it, masked agents broke in, brandishing weapons and shouting at the family.
Thao recounted, “I was shaking. They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door.” As part of a wider enforcement action, which has drawn considerable local backlash, the agents detained Thao and, in chilling conditions, led him out of his home wearing only underwear and sandals, wrapped in a blanket, as his young grandson looked on in tears.
The operation has sparked outrage among residents and officials, particularly following a series of aggressive ICE actions and a recent shooting incident involving immigration enforcement. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her condemned the actions as misaligned with ICE’s stated mission, criticizing the agency for targeting anyone indiscriminately rather than focusing on serious offenders.
In Thao’s account, as he sought to retrieve identification to show the agents his citizenship, he was rebuffed. Eventually, the agents drove him away from the home in subzero temperatures to take his photograph, despite initially preventing him from obtaining his ID. After confirming his status as a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, the agents returned him home without an apology and left after demanding to see identification.
The Department of Homeland Security defended the operation as “targeted,” aiming at two convicted sex offenders believed to be associated with Thao’s household. However, Thao’s family strongly disputes this characterization, noting that only immediate family members reside in the home and that none are listed on the Minnesota sex offender registry.
Further complicating the narrative, Thao’s son, Chris Thao, was stopped by ICE agents before the incident at their home while driving a vehicle that had coincidentally been borrowed from a man with a similar name to a registered offender. The family emphasizes a deep sense of injustice, particularly as Thao’s background includes his mother fleeing from Laos due to her support for U.S. operations during the Vietnam War era.
ChongLy Thao has expressed intentions to file a civil rights lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security and admitted to feeling unsafe in his own residence moving forward. “I don’t feel safe at all,” he stated. “What did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything.” This incident highlights ongoing tensions surrounding immigration enforcement actions and their implications for communities across the nation, raising questions about the balance between national security and civil liberties.