A US citizen was forcibly removed from his Minnesota home in his underwear and detained at gunpoint by federal immigration agents who allegedly broke in without a warrant, triggering outrage and raising serious civil rights concerns.
ChongLy “Scott” Thao said the incident unfolded on Sunday afternoon at his residence in St. Paul when agents from US Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrived while he was napping.
Door broken, guns drawn
According to Thao, his daughter-in-law woke him after hearing loud banging at the door. He told her not to open it. Moments later, agents allegedly forced their way inside without presenting a warrant.
“They didn't show any warrant; they just broke down the door,” Thao said, recalling that masked agents pointed guns at his family while shouting commands. “I was shaking.”
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Thao said he asked his daughter-in-law to retrieve his identification, but agents refused to let him access it. He was then handcuffed and led outside wearing only sandals and underwear, with a blanket draped over his shoulders. His four-year-old grandson reportedly watched the scene and cried.
Videos recorded by neighbours show people blowing whistles, honking horns, and shouting at the agents to leave the family alone.
The Trump administration is disgusting!
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 19, 2026
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
Taken away, then returned
Thao said agents drove him to what he described as a remote location in freezing conditions and made him step out of the vehicle to photograph him. He said he feared physical harm.
Only later was he asked to show identification, which confirmed that he is a US citizen with no criminal record. “They made me show my ID and then left without apologising for detaining me or breaking my door,” Thao said. He was returned home roughly one to two hours after being detained. Thao said the agents left without offering an apology or explanation for the broken door.
“I don’t feel safe at all,” he said. “What did I do wrong? I didn't do anything.”
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DHS response disputed by family
The Department of Homeland Security defended the action as a “targeted operation” aimed at locating two convicted sex offenders. DHS claimed Thao matched the suspects’ description and refused fingerprinting or facial identification.
Thao’s family strongly rejected that account, calling the claims “false and misleading.” They said only four people live in the home, and none are listed on Minnesota’s sex offender registry.
Thao’s son, Chris Thao, said he was stopped by ICE earlier that day while driving to work. While court records show a person with a similar first name has a past conviction, he said they are not the same individual.
Thao said he plans to file a civil rights lawsuit against DHS.
