US citizen says ICE removed him from his Minnesota home in his underwear after warrantless search

"ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Federal immigration agents bashed open a door and detained a U.S. citizen in his Minnesota home at gunpoint without a warrant, then led him out onto the streets in his underwear in subfreezing conditions, according to his family and videos reviewed by The Associated Press. ChongLy "Scott" Thao told the AP that his daughter-in-law alerted him on Sunday afternoon that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were banging at the door of his residence in St. Paul."

"Amid a massive surge of federal agents into the Twin Cities, immigration authorities are facing backlash from residents and the local leaders for warrantless arrests, aggressive clashes with protestors and the fatal shooting of mother of three Renee Good. "ICE is not doing what they say they're doing," St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, a Hmong American, said in a statement about Thao's arrest. "They're not going after hardened criminals. They're going after anyone and everyone in their path. It is unacceptable and un-American.""

"Thao, who has been a U.S. citizen for decades, said that as he was being detained he asked his daughter-in-law to find his identification but the agents told him they didn't want to see it. Instead, as his 4-year-old grandson watched and cried, Thao was led out in handcuffs wearing only sandals and underwear with just a blanket wrapped around his shoulders."

Federal immigration agents breached a St. Paul residence and detained ChongLy "Scott" Thao, a long-time U.S. citizen, at gunpoint without producing a warrant. Agents led Thao outside in handcuffs wearing only sandals and underwear with a blanket while his 4-year-old grandson watched and cried. Videos show masked, heavily armed agents facing neighbors who blew whistles and yelled for them to leave the family alone. Agents later drove Thao to a remote location and removed him from a vehicle in frigid weather to photograph him. Local leaders criticized the raids and raised civil-rights concerns over warrantless arrests and aggressive tactics.

Read at ABC7 Chicago