SAINT PAUL, Minnesota - A Minnesota man said he felt fear, shame, and desperation after ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him, and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and Crocs.
ChongLy Thao, 56, who goes by Scott, is a naturalized US citizen. he was brought home later without an explanation or apology, he said.
“I was praying. I thought,God,please help me,I didn’t do anything wrong. Why are they doing this to me? Without my clothes on,” Thao, a hmong man born in Laos, told Reuters from his home while neighbors fixed the broken door.
Photos of Thao barely clothed and covered in a blanket, taken by a Reuters photographer and bystanders, spread on social media.this fueled concerns that federal law enforcement officers were overstepping their authority as part of President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown,which involved deploying around 3,000 officers in the minneapolis area.
The family released a statement calling the incident “unnecessary, degrading, and deeply traumatizing.”
The high temperature in Saint Paul on January 18 was 14 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 10 degrees celsius).
The Department of Homeland Security said officers were looking for two convicted sex offenders at the address. They said a US citizen at the home refused to be fingerprinted or identified, so he was detained.
“He matched the description of the targets. As with any law enforcement agency, it is
