US Citizen Claims ICE Targeted the Incorrect Residence – Leaving Him Exposed in His Underwear Outdoors

Federal immigration officers burst into a Minnesota residence without a warrant, weapons brandished, and held a frightened U.S. citizen in just his underwear, according to relatives.

It started with a knock, but swiftly descended into turmoil. Per alarming eyewitness reports and footage, ChongLy “Scott” Thao was roused from sleep by his daughter-in-law, alerting him that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (ICE) were hammering on the door. This marked the onset of a harrowing experience for him and his loved ones.

Nap Turns to Nightmare as Armed Officers Invade Family Residence
A Sunday afternoon rest was cut short when Thao’s daughter-in-law awakened him to report ICE officers at the entrance. He instructed her to keep it shut, but officers breached the St. Paul dwelling. Thao remembered them aiming guns at the household and barking commands.

“I was trembling. They displayed no warrant; they simply smashed the door,” he recounted. Thao was led outside in merely sandals and shorts, a blanket thrown over his shoulders as he faced the icy chill. His four-year-old grandson observed and wept.

Videos recorded the event as neighbors sounded whistles and horns and yelled at the over a dozen armed officers to back off from the family.

“They just cuffed me on the spot,” he recounted. “They just dragged me out there without proper clothes, except only the blanket — just my grandson’s blanket. Covered me, hauled me to the vehicle. They didn’t mention anything wrong [sic].”

ICE Rejects ID Verification as Panic Escalates
Thao, a U.S. citizen for decades, stated he attempted to get his daughter-in-law to fetch his ID while officers detained him, but they declined to examine it.

He noted that the officers transported him “to some remote spot” and commanded him out of the vehicle in the bitter cold for photographs. Thao said he dreaded they might assault him. Officers subsequently requested his ID, despite previously blocking him from presenting it.

They finally acknowledged he was a U.S. citizen without a criminal history, Thao said, and roughly one to two hours afterward, they returned him home. There, they made him display his ID and departed without regret for holding him or wrecking his door.

Raid Defended with Assertions of Wrong Identity
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) stated the incursion at Thao’s residence formed part of a precise effort to apprehend two convicted sex offenders.

The department asserted Thao resided at the same address as the targets and that he resisted fingerprinting or facial recognition. They further claimed he fit the profile of the individuals under pursuit.

Thao’s relatives dismissed the DHS’s rationale for the raid, insisting the department’s narrative was fabricated to excuse its conduct. They noted that solely Thao, his son, his daughter-in-law, and his young grandson occupy the St. Paul rental, and neither they nor the landlord register on the Minnesota sex offender list.

Public documents indicate the closest listed sex offender in the zip code resides over two blocks distant. DHS offered no specifics when queried on the names of the two convicted sex offenders it targeted or why it suspected their presence at Thao’s home.

Prior to ICE officers targeting his father, Thao’s son, Chris, was pulled over en route to work in a vehicle borrowed from his cousin’s boyfriend. Court documents reveal the boyfriend bears a first name matching another Asian individual with a sex offense conviction, though the pair are distinct.

Family Intends Suit Against DHS Following Traumatic Incident
Thao indicated he intends to pursue a civil rights suit against DHS and now feels unsafe resting in his residence. He expressed bafflement at being singled out, given his innocence.

The family voiced particular distress over Thao’s handling by the U.S. authorities, considering his mother escaped to the U.S. from Laos in the 1970s after communists seized control, owing to her backing of American secret missions and peril to her existence.

According to the Hmong Nurses Association, Thao’s adoptive mother, Choua Thao, served as a nurse tending to CIA-supported Hmong fighters amid the U.S. government’s “Secret War” spanning 1961 to 1975.

Per a GoFundMe statement by Thao’s daughter-in-law, Louansee Moua, she aided countless civilians and U.S. troops while collaborating with American staff. She died in late December 2025.

ICE Activities in Minnesota Facing Intense Criticism
ICE detentions of U.S. citizens have sparked prior scrutiny in Minnesota. In early January, an ICE officer lethally shot a woman in her vehicle amid an operation in Minneapolis. In reply, Governor Tim Walz directed the state’s National Guard to ready itself while encouraging calm demonstrations.

Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey contested the federal narrative surrounding the events precipitating the shooting of the 37-year-old woman. Council members named her as Renee Nicole Good, a local resident.

Both leaders stated the official depiction clashed with evidence at hand and questioned assertions that force was warranted. Walz deemed the shooting “avoidable” and “pointless,” stating, “We have someone deceased in their vehicle for absolutely no cause.”

Senior Leaders Back Federal Officer in Fatal Shooting
President Donald Trump supported the ICE officer in the Minneapolis incident, asserting self-defense. He portrayed the woman operating the vehicle as disruptive, obstructive, and defiant. Trump alleged she struck the officer with her car, leading him to discharge his weapon.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem labeled the episode domestic terrorism and deemed the involved vehicle a lethal instrument. “Lethal force is entirely legal when confronting a weaponized threat,” she declared.

Noem detailed that enforcement personnel were executing an action when a vehicle bogged down in snow, necessitating backup. As officers worked to extricate it, demonstrators appeared and blocked their path, hindering departure.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin endorsed the remarks from Trump and Noem. She indicated the woman purportedly sought to overrun officers when an ICE officer delivered the fatal shot.

The spokesperson noted that the ICE officer, apprehending danger to himself, colleagues, and bystanders, unleashed protective fire.

Mayor Frey Rejects Federal Narrative as Untrue
Yet Frey challenged the federal assertion of self-defense by the ICE officer. The mayor indicated that extant video contradicted that version. He branded the officer’s conduct irresponsible, culminating in the woman’s demise.

Frey stressed that the victim, a U.S. citizen, wasn’t wielding her car as a weapon and had been monitoring neighborhood happenings while safeguarding immigrant neighbors.

He condemned the federal footprint in the city and demanded ICE exit Minneapolis. “We’ve anticipated this since ICE’s initial foray here,” he appended.

Authorities Detail Woman’s Cause of Death
Municipal officials reported the woman suffered head gunshot injuries and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she succumbed. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is probing alongside the FBI.

Commissioner Bob Jacobson remarked, “Remember, this probe remains early-stage, so any conjecture on events would be mere guesswork, and we won’t partake in it.”

Concurrently, Walz affirmed the state’s dedication to a comprehensive, equitable, and prompt inquiry for accountability and justice. The FBI verified the matter under examination and ongoing partnership with state and local forces.

ICE and Homeland Security Personnel Surge in Deployment
The Twin Cities witness a massive influx of ICE and Homeland Security Investigations agents (HSI). Per various informed sources, the personnel aim to execute immigration enforcement and fraud probes.

As many as 2,000 agents might deploy to the Minneapolis region, though figures could vary. Indications suggest up to 600 HSI agents and 1,400 ICE agents could join the broadened initiative.

The amplified federal activity has sparked alarm among local U.S. citizens, voicing safety worries amid the operation tactics.