Federal immigration agents forced their way into a Minnesota home and detained a US citizen at gunpoint, leading him out into subfreezing temperatures while he was wearing only his underwear, as per The Guardian. This whole situation is nerve-racking, and the justification provided by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for this aggressive, warrantless entry is bizarre and highly disputed by the family.
ChongLy “Scott” Thao, who has been a US citizen for decades, was asleep in his St. Paul residence when his daughter-in-law woke him up, saying US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents were pounding on the door. Thao told her not to open it, but masked agents quickly forced their way inside anyway. They pointed guns at the family and began yelling. Thao recalled the terrifying moment, stating, “I was shaking. They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door.”
Thao said when he asked his daughter-in-law to find his ID, the agents told him they didn’t want to see it. Instead, they detained him in handcuffs and led him outside. Videos captured the scene as Thao was taken out wearing only sandals and underwear, with just a blanket wrapped around his shoulders, all while his four-year-old grandson watched and cried. Neighbors were understandably furious, screaming and blowing horns at the more than a dozen gun-toting agents to leave the family alone.
Everyday folks in Minnesota are getting sick of ICE with every incident like this
Thao told reporters that agents drove him “to the middle of nowhere” and then made him get out of the car in the frigid weather so they could photograph him. He said he genuinely feared they would beat him. It was at this point, after preventing him from getting his ID earlier, that they finally asked to see it.
The agents eventually realized they had the wrong man; Thao is a US citizen with no criminal record. An hour or two later, they brought him back to his house, made him show his ID, and then left without apologizing for the detention or for damaging his door. Thao plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against the DHS. “I don’t feel safe at all,” Thao said, asking, “What did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything.”
When asked to explain the operation, the DHS described the incident at Thao’s home as a “targeted operation” seeking two convicted sex offenders. The agency claimed that Thao “lives with these two convicted sex offenders at the site of the operation,” and that he “matched the description of the targets” and “refused to be fingerprinted or facially ID’d.”
Thao’s family, however, is calling the DHS’s account completely false. In a statement, they said they “categorically disputes” the DHS version of events and “strongly objects to DHS’s attempt to publicly justify this conduct with false and misleading claims.” Thao emphasized that the only residents in the rental home are himself, his son, his daughter-in-law, and his grandson. Neither they nor the property owner is listed in the state’s sex offender registry.
Thao’s son, Chris Thao, provided a possible explanation for the confusion, noting that agents stopped him earlier that day while he was driving a borrowed car. The car belonged to his cousin’s boyfriend, who shares the first name of another Asian man who has been convicted of a sex offense, though Chris Thao confirmed they are two different people.
ICE is facing growing backlash from residents and local leaders in the Twin Cities amid a huge surge of federal agents into the area, which has also involved warrantless arrests and aggressive clashes with protesters. The St. Paul mayor, Kaohly Her, a Hmong American, blasted the agency’s actions, stating, “ICE is not doing what they say they’re doing. They’re not going after hardened criminals. They’re going after anyone and everyone in their path. It is unacceptable and un-American.”
Published: Jan 21, 2026 01:00 pm