Name: Minnesota man recalls fear as ICE hauled him into snow barely clothed
Uploaded: 2026-01-20T09:14:27.480Z
Duration: 2 min 33 s
Description: A Minnesota man told Reuters he felt fear, shame and desperation when ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and Crocs.

A Minnesota man told Reuters he felt fear, shame and desperation when ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and Crocs.

Minnesota

Chong Lee Thao, a 56-year-old U.S. citizen, was arrested by ICE officers at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Officers broke down his door, handcuffed him, and took him outside into the snow wearing only shorts and sandals. Thao was later released without explanation or apology after being photographed and fingerprinted.

The Department of Homeland Security stated the operation was related to an investigation of two convicted sex offenders at the address. A DHS spokeswoman said it is standard protocol to hold all individuals present for safety reasons. Thao and his family expressed distress over the incident, questioning their place in America.

Minnesota man recalls fear as ICE hauled him into snow barely clothed

This is the moment 56-year-old Chong Lee Thao was arrested by ICE at his home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Officers broke down his door, handcuffed him, and dragged him into the snow wearing just shorts and sandals. Thao, who goes by the name Scott, was returned home later on Sunday without explanation or apology. He spoke to Reuters, recounting the fear and shame he felt. My daughter-in-law came to the room and said, Dad, there's ICE out there. I said, OK, just open the door. So I locked my bedroom, and then Sunday they break in. They just came to the room and locked the door. So I said, OK, just open the door, see what they want. And then Sunday there's a gun pointed at us. I was like, whoa. And then they go, you, come out here. I go, OK. And then I came out there, raised my hand up, and then they put my hand on my back. So I did, and then Sunday they just handcuffed me. Thao said he tried presenting his ID. They didn't ask for my ID or anything until after they handcuffed me. They asked me, do I have my ID? I go, yeah, it's in the room. And then my daughter-in-law, she tried to get my ID, but they didn't want to see it no more. Yeah, they just took me out there with no clothes on, and they just covered me with my grandson's blanket. Yeah, they just took me out there. I was like, man, this is embarrassing. Thao said his parents brought him from Laos to the United States in 1974, and he became a U.S. citizen in 1991. After officers photographed him and took his fingerprints, he was returned home. In a statement, the Department of Homeland Security said officers were investigating two convicted sex offenders at the address. Spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said a U.S. citizen living there refused to be fingerprinted or be facially identified and that he matched the description of an offender. She added that it's standard protocol to hold all individuals from a house involved in an operation for the safety of the public and law enforcement. Thao's son, Chris, says what happened makes him wonder if America is still a good place to be. This is America. This is America. It's what it looks like. Why are we here? What are we doing here?

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