A video showing a Minnesota man being forcibly removed from his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents while he was hardly wearing any clothing has caused public outrage. The man has been identified as ChongLy Thao (age 56), who is a naturalised citizen of the United States and goes by the name Scott, as per Reuters.
Thao said he was released back to his home later that same day with no explanation or apology.
Who is ChongLy Thao?
Thao is a Hmong man born in Laos. He shared that his parents brought him to the United States in 1974 when he was four years old. He became a US citizen in 1991.
"They took me out there with no clothes on and just covered me with my grandson’s blanket. I was like, man, this is, this is embarrassing,” Thao was quoted as saying by NBC News.
"I was praying. I was like, God, please help me, I didn't do anything wrong. Why do they do this to me? Without my clothes on," Thao told Reuters.
Thao recalls he was singing karaoke at home with his family when there was a loud banging on the front door. Thao and his family fled to a room when ICE agents arrived and when officers walked him outside the house, he was searching for his ID. Thao said that officers took his fingerprints and a photograph of him before returning him back home.
"We came here for a purpose, right? ... To have a bright future. To have a safe place to live," Thao said. "If this is going to turn out to be America, what are we doing here? Why are we here?" he asked.
Family describes ordeal
Narrating the traumatic incident on Facebook, Thao's sister-in-law, Louansee Moua stated that he had no criminal record.
Referring to Thao as Saly, she stated, "Without showing a warrant or asking for identification, multiple armed agents entered the apartment, pointed guns at the family, and handcuffed ChongLy inside his own home. His 5-year-old grandson was napping on the sofa, woke up crying in fear, witnessing armed officers storm his home."
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"ChongLy was taken outside in freezing weather wearing only underwear and Crocs, placed into an SUV, and driven around for nearly an hour while being questioned. Only after fingerprinting and running his information did ICE confirm what should have been known from the start — he is a U.S. citizen and had NO criminal record. He was dropped back at home with no apology and no explanation," she added.
She said that although ChongLy was not physically injured, the "emotional and psychological harm has been profound".
"ChongLy also lives with severe psoriasis, a chronic condition that is significantly worsened by extreme stress. Since the incident, his health and emotional well-being have declined," she added.
Social media was flooded with videos captures of the incident showing Thao with limited clothing and wrapped up in a blanket. This incident has amplified people's already growing sense of outrage over the actions taken by President Donald Trump in carrying out his immigration reform effort within the Minneapolis area where more than 3,000 agents have been deployed.
