ICE Mistakenly Detains Minnesota U.S. Citizen at Gunpoint, Leads Him Out in Underwear After Forcing Way Into Home
Masked ICE agents forced open the St. Paul home of ChongLy “Scott” Thao without a warrant, pointed guns at family members and led the longtime U.S. citizen outside in only underwear, sandals and a blanket in subfreezing temperatures as neighbors filmed and a 4‑year‑old cried. DHS called it a “targeted” operation aimed at two convicted sex offenders and said Thao matched a description and refused biometric checks, but his family disputes that anyone with such convictions lived there, state registry records show none at the address, and agents—after driving him to an undisclosed location to photograph him—allowed him to prove his citizenship and returned him home without apology.
📌 Key Facts
- ICE agents forced open the St. Paul home of ChongLy "Scott" Thao, a decades‑long U.S. citizen, at gunpoint without showing a warrant, pointed guns at his family, and led him outside in only underwear, sandals and a blanket in subfreezing temperatures.
- Video and on‑camera/social‑media footage reviewed by reporters show more than a dozen masked, armed agents at the scene, neighbors blowing whistles and filming, and Thao’s 4‑year‑old grandson crying as agents removed him.
- The Department of Homeland Security characterized the action as a "targeted" operation to arrest two convicted sex offenders allegedly living at the address, saying Thao matched their description and refused fingerprinting or facial ID; Thao’s family disputes that claim and state sex‑offender registry records show no registrants at the home.
- Thao says agents refused to look at his ID inside the house, drove him to an undisclosed location and photographed him outside in freezing weather, then only later allowed him to show proof of citizenship and returned him home without apology or compensation for the broken door after finding no criminal record.
- Thao’s family says a likely misidentification link exists: ICE previously stopped his son while driving a car borrowed from a cousin’s boyfriend whose first name matches that of a different Asian man with a sex‑offense conviction.
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her criticized the operation, saying ICE is "not going after hardened criminals" but rather "anyone and everyone in their path," and called the conduct "unacceptable and un‑American."
📰 Source Timeline (4)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
January 20, 2026
2:39 PM
A U.S. citizen says ICE forced open the door to his Minnesota home and removed him in his underwear after a warrantless search
New information:
- AP identifies the man as ChongLy "Scott" Thao, a long‑time U.S. citizen living in St. Paul, and describes agents forcing open his door at gunpoint without presenting a warrant.
- Video reviewed by AP shows more than a dozen masked, gun‑toting agents leading Thao outside in only underwear, sandals and a blanket, as his 4‑year‑old grandson cries and neighbors blow whistles and shout at agents.
- DHS publicly characterizes the raid as a 'targeted operation' for two convicted sex offenders it claims live at the address and says Thao refused fingerprinting or facial ID and matched their description; Thao’s family 'categorically disputes' this and points to state sex‑offender records showing no such registrants at the home.
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her issues a pointed statement accusing ICE of lying about targeting only 'hardened criminals' and instead sweeping up 'anyone and everyone in their path,' calling the conduct 'unacceptable and un‑American.'
- Thao recounts being driven to an unspecified location, made to stand outside in freezing weather for photos, then returned home only after agents finally allowed him to show ID proving his citizenship, with no apology or compensation for the broken door.
10:07 AM
Man detained by ICE at gunpoint in underwear asks, "What did I do wrong?"
New information:
- CBS/AP identify the man as Chongly "Scott" Thao, a decades‑long U.S. citizen, and report that masked ICE agents forced open his St. Paul door without showing a warrant, pointed guns at his family, and led him outside in only underwear, sandals and a blanket in subfreezing weather.
- Thao says agents refused to look at his ID inside the home, drove him to an undisclosed location to photograph him, then only requested his identification later before returning him home and leaving without apology after realizing he had no criminal record.
- DHS publicly characterizes the raid as a 'targeted operation' for two convicted sex offenders it claims lived at the address and asserts Thao matched their description and refused fingerprinting or facial ID; Thao’s family 'categorically disputes' that any sex offenders live there and registry records show no offenders at that address, with the nearest listed offender more than two blocks away.
- St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, a Hmong American, issues a statement saying 'ICE is not doing what they say they're doing' and that agents are 'not going after hardened criminals' but 'anyone and everyone in their path,' calling the conduct 'unacceptable and un-American.'
- The family notes ICE had previously stopped Thao’s son while he drove a car borrowed from his cousin’s boyfriend, whose first name matches that of a different Asian man with a sex‑offense conviction, suggesting a likely misidentification link.
7:25 AM
US citizen says ICE removed him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search
New information:
- Describes a separate Minnesota ICE raid in St. Paul where U.S. citizen ChongLy 'Scott' Thao says masked agents forced his door without a warrant, pointed guns at his family, and led him outside in underwear and a blanket in subfreezing temperatures.
- Reports that DHS publicly defends the operation as a 'targeted' effort to arrest two convicted sex offenders allegedly living with Thao and claims he refused fingerprinting or facial ID and matched their description, while Thao’s family issues a statement 'categorically' disputing that any sex offenders live there.
- Adds on‑camera and social‑media documented details of the encounter — neighbors blowing whistles, shouting at agents and filming more than a dozen armed officers — and quotes St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her saying ICE is 'not going after hardened criminals' but 'anyone and everyone in their path.'
January 16, 2026