Ramsey County sues DHS over forcible removal of St. Paul U.S. citizen
Ramsey County filed a federal lawsuit on July 15, 2026, saying DHS unlawfully refused to hand over evidence in a criminal probe of a Jan. 18 ICE raid in St. Paul.[1]
The complaint says investigators are probing possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment of Hmong-American U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao.[2] The county asked the court to compel DHS and ICE to produce body-camera or operational video, reports and the identities of agents involved.[2] County investigators say Thao was not suspected of any crime when agents broke into his home, removed him, drove him around for about an hour and then returned him home.[1] Sheriff Bob Fletcher said the conduct could amount to false imprisonment or kidnapping depending on the agents' intent.[1]
Investigators began seeking information from DHS in February and granted deadline extensions but received no substantive response, prompting the July 15 suit.[1] Ramsey County argues DHS's blanket "noncooperation" posture unlawfully blocks a local criminal inquiry and upsets the Tenth Amendment balance of power between federal and state authorities.[2] The Reformer also reported that one of the people DHS said it targeted had been jailed in Ramsey County since September 2024, a fact that calls DHS's public justification into question.[2]
Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised the case and pressed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about it during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing.[1] The incident has become a flashpoint in St. Paul's Hmong community and among civil-rights advocates, who view it as part of a wider pattern of Operation Metro Surge overreach and secrecy.[2]
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- Ramsey County filed a federal lawsuit on July 15, 2026 accusing DHS of unlawfully refusing to produce critical evidence for a local criminal investigation into the January 18, 2026 St. Paul ICE raid (Ramsey County).
- The complaint alleges county investigators are probing possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment by federal agents against Hmong‑American U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao and asks the court to compel DHS/ICE to produce body‑camera or operational video, reports, and identity information for agents involved (Chongly Scott Thao).
- Ramsey County argues in its complaint that DHS’s blanket “noncooperation” posture unlawfully blocks a local criminal inquiry and upsets the Tenth Amendment balance of power between federal and state/local authorities (Tenth Amendment balance of power).
- County investigators say Thao was not suspected of any crime when agents broke into his home, forcibly removed him, drove him around for about an hour, and then returned him home (Chongly Scott Thao).
- The Reformer notes a factual discrepancy: one of the supposed ICE targets had been jailed in Ramsey County since September 2024, calling into question DHS’s public justification for the raid (supposed ICE targets).
- Ramsey County investigators first began seeking information from DHS in February, granted deadline extensions, but received no substantive response—prompting the July 15 federal lawsuit (began seeking information from DHS in February).
- Sheriff Bob Fletcher publicly said the agents’ conduct could constitute “false imprisonment or kidnapping” depending on their intent and actions during the roughly hour‑long detention (Sheriff Bob Fletcher).
- The case has attracted federal political attention: Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised the incident and pressed Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about it during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing (Sen. Amy Klobuchar).
📰 Source Timeline (3)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- FOX 9 confirms that Ramsey County has now formally filed the federal lawsuit and frames it squarely around the January 2026 ICE arrest of Hmong-American U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao in St. Paul.
- Investigators say Thao was not suspected of any crime when agents broke into his home, forcibly removed him, drove him around for about an hour, and then returned him home.
- Ramsey County investigators began seeking information from DHS in February, granted deadline extensions, but still received no substantive response, prompting the federal suit.
- Sheriff Bob Fletcher publicly stated he believes a law was broken, saying the conduct could constitute 'false imprisonment or kidnapping' depending on the agents’ intent and actions during the hour-long detention.
- FOX 9 notes that Sen. Amy Klobuchar raised the case and pressed acting Attorney General Todd Blanche about it during his U.S. Senate confirmation hearing, signaling the dispute has reached the federal political level.
- The Minnesota Reformer article focuses specifically on Ramsey County’s claim that DHS is unlawfully refusing to hand over critical evidence needed for a local criminal investigation into the January 18 St. Paul ICE raid.
- The suit details that county investigators are probing potential kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment by federal agents against U.S. citizen Chongly Scott Thao and allege DHS has adopted a blanket “noncooperation” posture toward that inquiry.
- The complaint asks the federal court not just to overturn DHS’s noncooperation policy but to issue orders compelling DHS/ICE to produce body‑camera or operational video, reports, and identity information on the agents involved.
- Reformer adds fuller legal framing around federalism: Ramsey County argues DHS cannot block a local criminal investigation into potential state‑law crimes simply by invoking internal policy, and that doing so violates the Tenth Amendment balance of power.
- The article underscores that one of the supposed ICE targets had been jailed in Ramsey County since September 2024, highlighting the factual disconnect between DHS’s public justification and local custody records.
- Community context is expanded: the Reformer piece notes the incident has become a flashpoint in St. Paul’s Hmong community and among civil‑rights advocates, who see it as part of a broader pattern of Operation Metro Surge overreach and secrecy.