Federal immigration raids in Minnesota are intensifying, triggering growing public outrage and protests. On January 18, ICE agents carried out an aggressive operation in St. Paul, forcibly removing ChongLy 'Scott' Thao, a U.S. citizen — from his home in subfreezing temperatures while he was wearing only underwear, sandals, and a blanket.
00:00Federal immigration raids in Minnesota are escalating, and so is public outrage.
00:16On Sunday, January 18th, ICE agents carried out another aggressive operation on the east
00:23side of St. Paul, pulling a man out of his home in freezing temperatures wearing only underwear,
00:30sandals, and a blanket. Videos show at least half a dozen federal agents entering the house
00:36with weapons drawn as neighbors shouted at them to leave. Onlookers leaned on car horns,
00:43blue whistles, and filmed as the man was led away in handcuffs down a snow-covered street
00:48before agents sped off in a convoy of SUVs. The man detained was Chong Li Scott Thao,
00:56a U.S. citizen. According to Thao and his family, ICE agents forced open the door without showing
01:02a warrant, entered the home at gunpoint, and treated his family aggressively. Witnesses say
01:09Thao was taken outside in sub-freezing conditions, wrapped only in a blanket. His four-year-old
01:15granddaughter was seen crying as the neighbors protested. According to two U.S. officials,
01:21the Pentagon has ordered approximately 1,500 active-duty soldiers stationed in Alaska to
01:28prepare for a possible deployment to Minnesota, raising alarms about the militarization of
01:34immigration enforcement. St. Paul Mayor Kayoli, her condemned the tactics, saying ICE should be
01:43focusing on serious criminals, not terrorizing families.
01:47Today, I'm proud to stand with Mayor Frye and Attorney General Ellison to fight for our residents.
01:53This federal occupation of our cities needs to end immediately. Federal law enforcement is
01:59racially profiling our residents, creating mass chaos, and undermining the relationship between
02:05local government and our communities. We will not stand idly by and watch this happen.
02:11With this collective action, we are taking a firm stance to tell federal law enforcement that this
02:16cannot happen in our country, it cannot happen in our state, and it cannot happen in St. Paul.
02:23Federal law enforcement is going far beyond what they can and should be doing to enforce immigration
02:28laws. They are endangering our community's safety, straining our resources, and sowing distrust.
02:34While we know we can't control federal agents, we will pull every lover we have to fight back in every
02:41way that we can. They've come into St. Paul and needlessly invaded our neighborhoods and homes.
02:47They're targeting us based on what we look and sound like. Our residents are scared, and as local
02:53officials, we have a responsibility to act. And to our immigrant and refugee communities, let me be clear.
02:59You are a vital part of our city. You are loved, and you are wanted, and you are important to the fabric
03:07of our state. As a refugee who came to this country, this is the state that welcomed my grandparents here in the late
03:1470s, allowed our family to break the cycle of poverty in one generation, educated us, allowed us to build wealth,
03:21and within one generation, have a new family members that are educated and a part of this economy and this workforce.
03:29That we need to continue to make sure that our state stays that, and that can't happen if ICE continues
03:34to run amok of our city and our state.
03:37The Department of Homeland Security disputes the accusations. DHS claims the operation was targeting
03:44two convicted sex offenders believed to be living at the same address as Thao, but his family strongly
03:50denies that claim, saying no such individuals live in their home. After being detained, Thao says he was
03:57taken to an unknown location where he feared for his safety. Hours later, agents acknowledged his U.S.
04:05citizenship and released him without an apology.
04:08About 1.30, my granddaughter, I mean my daughter-in-law came to the room and said, Dad, there's ice out there. I thought, what? Yeah, there's ice out there. I said, okay, just open the door. And then suddenly they just banged that door. And then my grandson was asleep
04:32up there on the couch and then he heard the banging and then he woke up. He started crying and then he went to the room with me and my daughter-in-law. So I locked my bedroom and then suddenly they break in. They just came to the room and locked in the door. So I said, okay, just open the door, see what they want. And then suddenly there's a gun pointing at us. I was like, whoa. And then they go,
04:39You come out of here. Okay, and I come out there. I said, whoa.
04:45And then that Sunday they break in, they just came to the room and knocked on the door.
04:52So I said, okay, let's open the door, see what they want.
04:54And then Sunday just like guns pointing at us.
04:57I thought, whoa.
05:00And then they go, you, come out here.
05:03I go, okay.
05:05And then I came out there with my hand up, and then they put my hand on my back.
05:13So I did.
05:14And then Sunday they just handcuffed me.
05:19They didn't ask for my ID or anything until after they handcuffed me.
05:23And then they asked me, do I have my ID?
05:26I go, yeah, it's in the room.
05:29And then my daughter-in-law, she tried to get my ID, but they didn't want to see it no
05:33more.
05:34Yeah.
05:35They just took me out there with no clothes on.
05:40And then they just covered with my grandson's blankets.
05:45Yeah.
05:46They just took me out there.
05:48And I was like, man, this, this is embarrassing.
05:53Yeah.
05:54Yeah.
05:55Yesterday was, I don't feel like it's free now.
05:58It's like, I was scared they might send me back, you know, because I had no relatives over there.
06:11Yeah.
06:12So everybody's over here now.
06:13So I was like, man, if they send me back there, what am I going to live?
06:16What am I going to do?
06:17You know?
06:18So, yeah.
06:19I was like, man, I was hoping God would, God would save me or bring me back home.
06:24They just took me all the way to Wisconsin and they just say that, yeah.
06:54And they're banging.
06:55It was kind of so hard.
06:56And then I was like, oh my God, my kid must be enjoying it.
07:01And then if this is America, if this is America, it's what it looks like.
07:04Why are we here?
07:05What are we doing here?
07:07You know?
07:09We came here for a purpose, right?
07:12We were born here for a purpose.
07:15To have a bright future.
07:19To have a safe place to live.
07:22You know?
07:24This is America.
07:25This is going to turn out to be America, what we're doing here.
07:28You know what I mean?
07:29While we're here.
07:30You know what I mean?
07:31Oh, my God.
07:32That's my friend.
07:33This is all they thought.
07:34That's what I thought about.
07:35I felt blessed for this community here right now because I didn't expect any of this.
07:50I didn't expect any of this like for bringing food and you know for us to eat whatever I'm just like I'm so blessed of you guys coming here with you know bringing me food my wife and family food to eat you know I'm just blessed.
08:06Yeah when I when I got home I didn't know until they said okay you after they look at my ideas they said okay you're good.
08:14I walk in the house I go wow where's all this food come from you are surprised me I go wow okay.
08:36I'll bring you right back.
08:44You just handle it with the um we call it uh the door breaker they just handle it right here see right here that's how they that's how they break it in.
09:12Yeah it was right here and they took me down here and took me to a car.
09:22They were holding my my arm and I think the car was right here somewhere and it was right here.
09:32That's what they took me to the car goes like it.
09:38This feels good.
09:40I mean like it was it was great.
09:46I feel better now.
09:48So just like everybody everybody know that when they come to your door just open the door and be prepared what they need.
09:58So I'm I'm thankful that God helped me bring me back home safe.
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