Federal immigration agents in the United States have been accused of forcibly entering a Minnesota home without a warrant, detaining a US citizen at gunpoint, and leading him outside in subfreezing weather wearing only his underwear and sandals.
A Terrifying Afternoon Raid in St. Paul
The incident occurred on the afternoon of Sunday, 20 January 2026, at a residence in St. Paul, Minnesota. ChongLy "Scott" Thao, a US citizen for decades, was awoken from a nap by his daughter-in-law who said agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were banging on the door. Thao instructed her not to open it.
Masked agents then forced their way inside, pointing guns at the family and yelling. "I was shaking," Thao recalled to The Associated Press. "They didn't show any warrant; they just broke down the door."
Detained in Underwear Amid Family Distress
As his four-year-old grandson watched and cried, Thao was handcuffed. Despite his requests for his daughter-in-law to retrieve his identification, agents reportedly said they did not want to see it. He was then led out of his home wearing only sandals and underwear, with just a blanket wrapped around his shoulders for warmth against the frigid conditions.
Videos of the scene show neighbours blowing whistles and horns, screaming at the more than a dozen armed agents to leave the family alone. Thao stated that agents drove him to a remote location, made him exit the vehicle in the cold to be photographed, and that he feared being beaten.
After an hour or two, agents apparently realised their mistake. Thao, who has no criminal record, was returned to his home, where he was finally made to show his ID. The agents left without apologising for the detention or the broken door.
Conflicting Accounts and Planned Lawsuit
The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended the action, describing it as a "targeted operation" seeking two convicted sex offenders. A DHS statement claimed, "The US citizen lives with these two convicted sex offenders at the site of the operation," and that Thao matched the description of the targets.
Thao's family has categorically disputed this account. They stated that only Thao, his son, daughter-in-law, and grandson live at the rental property. Neither they nor the property owner are listed on the Minnesota sex offender registry. The nearest registered offender lives more than two blocks away.
Thao's son, Chris Thao, revealed that ICE agents stopped him while driving to work before the raid on his father. He was using a borrowed car registered to his cousin's boyfriend, who shares a first name with a convicted sex offender but is a different person.
The family's distress is compounded by their history. Thao's late adopted mother, Choua Thao, was a nurse who treated CIA-backed Hmong soldiers during the US "Secret War" in Laos. She fled to America after communists took over in the 1970s because her life was in danger for supporting US operations.
ChongLy Thao now says he no longer feels safe in his own home. "I don't feel safe at all," he said. "What did I do wrong? I didn't do anything." He is planning to file a civil rights lawsuit against the DHS.
The raid has intensified local backlash against a recent surge of federal agents in the Twin Cities area, with St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her condemning the tactics as "unacceptable and un-American."
