After ICE officers forcibly entered his home in Saint Paul, Minnesota, ChongLy Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized U.S. citizen, described feeling fear, shame, and desperation. Thao, who also goes by the name Scott, was handcuffed, dragged into the snow wearing only shorts and Crocs, and later released without explanation or apology.
Thao, a Hmong man born in Laos, expressed his distress over the incident, stating, “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.” The photos of the incident, showing Thao barely clothed and covered in a blanket, circulated on social media, raising concerns about the actions of federal law enforcement officers.
A statement from Thao’s family condemned the incident as “unnecessary, degrading, and deeply traumatizing.” The Department of Homeland Security justified the actions, stating they were investigating two convicted sex offenders at the address and detained Thao because he refused to be fingerprinted or facially identified.
Thao, who has been a U.S. citizen since 1991, expressed his fear of being sent back to Laos, where he has no relatives. Despite the traumatic experience, he emphasized the importance of America as a safe place for a bright future, questioning, “If this is going to turn out to be America, what are we doing here? Why are we here?”
(Reporting by Maria Alejandra Cardona in Saint Paul; Writing by Daniel Trotta; Editing by Michael Perry)
