A US citizen says he was left “shaking” after federal immigration agents smashed into his Minnesota home and detained him at gunpoint. ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, was led away in his underwear and sandals in -12°C (10°F) weather while his four-year-old grandson watched in tears.
The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon during a surge of federal activity in the Twin Cities. Video footage shows more than a dozen agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) surrounding the property as neighbours blew whistles and horns in protest.
‘They just broke down the door’
Mr Thao told reporters that he was taking a nap when his daughter-in-law alerted him to agents banging on the door. He instructed his family not to open it. Moments later, masked officers forced their way inside.
“I was shaking,” Mr Thao said. “They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door.”
Despite being a US citizen for decades, Mr Thao was handcuffed and taken outside with only a small blanket over his bare shoulders. He said agents refused to look at his identification at the scene. Instead, they drove him to a remote location to take photographs of him in the cold.
The Trump administration is disgusting!
Yesterday, ICE raided a home on St. Paul’s East Side. Their target was ChongLy Scott Thao, an elderly Hmong American man.
He’s a U.S. citizen with no criminal record.
Armed ICE agents broke down the door without presenting a valid… pic.twitter.com/cJhysjhq6R
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 19, 2026
Disputes over ‘targeted operation’
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the raid, describing it as a “targeted operation” to find two convicted sex offenders. Officials claimed the suspects lived at the address and that Mr Thao matched their description.
However, the Thao family “categorically disputes” this account. Records show that only Mr Thao, his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live at the rental home. None of the residents are on the Minnesota sex offender registry.
The St Paul Mayor, Kaohly Her, called the incident “unacceptable and un-American.” She stated that the agency was not targeting “hardened criminals” but was instead going after “anyone and everyone in their path.”
A family history of service
The incident has caused particular pain due to the family’s history of supporting the US government. Mr Thao’s late mother, Choua Thao, was a nurse who treated American soldiers and CIA-backed Hmong troops during the “Secret War” in Laos.
The family fled to the US as refugees in the 1970s because her life was in danger for assisting American personnel. Choua Thao, who passed away in December, had ensured all her children became naturalised US citizens.
Mr Thao now says he no longer feels safe in his home and is planning to file a civil rights lawsuit against the government. “What did I do wrong?” he asked. “I didn’t do anything.”
