Disturbing moment US citizen with no criminal record is arrested by ICE in Minneapolis and marched out into snow in his underwear
By Sophie Gable
Daily Mail
Jan 20, 2026
ChongLy Thao, 56, was forcibly removed from his home in St Paul by ICE agents on Sunday, pictured above
A Minnesota US citizen with no criminal record was seized from his home by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents and paraded in front of his neighbors in his underwear in frigid conditions.
ChongLy Thao, 56, was snatched by the federal officers from his home in St Paul on Sunday afternoon, according to his family and videos from witnesses.
ICE agents broke down the door of his home, pointed guns at his family, and handcuffed him while his four-year-old grandson cried in horror.
He was marched outside in the freezing cold in his underwear and a blanket he quickly grabbed from the couch.
Thao told Reuters and the Associated Press that he asked his daughter-in-law to find his identification for the officers, but the agents said they didn't need to see it and detained him anyway.
Officers denied him the chance to put on clothes and he was forced outside wearing Crocs on his feet.
'I was shaking,' he told AP. 'They didn't show any warrant; they just broke down the door.'
Neighbors captured the horrifying moments on camera and screamed at ICE agents to release Thao.
Thao, pictured above in an interview on Monday, is a legal US citizen and doesn't have a criminal record
Thao's family said he asked agents for an opportunity to put clothes on and provide identification, but was denied
He recalled that agents drove him to 'the middle of nowhere' and photographed him outside. Thao said he feared they would assault him.
When officers ran his fingerprints, they realized Thao was a legal citizen with no criminal record and brought him back to his home a few hours after detaining him.
Thao said he didn't receive an apology or an explanation for the alleged inhumane treatment.
'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,' he told Reuters.
Thao is a Hmong man born in Laos. His adopted mother, Choua Thao, delivered him while she served the American side in the Secret War, a series of covert CIA operations in Laos.
Choua had to flee Laos with her children when the communists took over in the 1970s because she treated US soldiers.
'Choua raised her children with deep values of service, dignity, and responsibility, and she ensured all of them became naturalized US citizens,' Thao's family wrote in a GoFundMe description.
'She believed strongly in doing things the right way and in protecting life and family.'
Thao, pictured above on Monday in front of his home, is a naturalized citizen from Laos. His mother served as a nurse and treated American soldiers and citizens during the Secret War
Thao, pictured above in his home, feared he would be assaulted by officers and has filed complaints with the ACLU
Thao's family said his mother treated countless civilians and American soldiers during the war. She died in December.
'To have her son treated this way — dragged from his home, weapons pointed at him, in front of his family and a small child — while the family is still grieving her loss, is heartbreaking, unjust, and deeply traumatizing,' the family added.
The Department of Homeland Security told Reuters and AP that they were investigating two sex offenders who lived at Thao's address.
'He matched the description of the targets. As with any law enforcement agency, it is standard protocol to hold all individuals in a house of an operation for safety of the public and law enforcement,' a DHS spokesperson said in a statement.
Thao's family said that one of the men wanted by DHS previously lived in the home and was a former spouse of a family member.
Thao's son said he was stopped by ICE agents earlier in the day while driving a friend's car.
He added that the friend shares the first name of another man on the sex offender registry, but that the two people are not the same, AP reported.
ICE agents broke down the door and pointed guns at Thao's family as they detained him and removed him from their home, pictured above
Neighbors and community members video taped the horrific moments and screamed for Thao to be released, pictured above
St Paul Mayor Kaohly Her told the Minnesota Star Tribune that she was 'livid' over the incident, adding that Thao is a family friend whom she knows personally.
'It’s devastating to watch. And I am not outraged because these are people personal to me. This is happening across our city, across our state,' she said.
'The federal government, ICE is not doing what it is that they say they’re doing. They’re not going after hardened criminals.
'They’re going after anyone and everyone in their path. It is unacceptable. That is un-American.'
Thao's family said that although he wasn't physically injured, the incident had traumatized him and left him with psychological harm.
He also lives with severe psoriasis, which is worsened by extreme stress, according to his family.
Thao has filed complaints with the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and the state's attorney general. His family is raising money for his mental health therapy and medical care.
Thao, pictured above hugging his sister, has suffered psychological harm from the incident. His family is raising money for his therapy
Thao's family is just one of many impacted by the increased ICE raids in Minneapolis. DHS and ICE have been under fire for carrying out violent and unjustified raids in the city.
At the beginning of the month, a legal citizen named Renee Good, 37, was fatally shot by officers in her car.
Protests have erupted across the state, resulting in violent clashes between citizens and law enforcement.
Minnesota Mayor Jacob Frey and Governor Tim Walz have condemned the federal government's actions, frequently demanding that the raids subside.
The Daily Mail has reached out to DHS and ICE for additional comment.
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