A chilling video showing a man wrapped only in a blanket being dragged out of his Minnesota home into freezing snow has triggered widespread outrage and renewed questions over ICE conduct. The incident, which unfolded during an early-morning raid, showed officers escorting the man outside despite sub-zero temperatures, refusing to let him wear proper clothes.
The man was later returned home without any explanation or apology, even though he had committed no crime. The man in the video has now been identified as ChongLy Thao, a 56-year-old naturalized US citizen, according to officials and his family.
Who is ChongLy Thao?
ChongLy Thao, who also goes by the name Scott, is a Hmong American born in Laos. He said his parents brought him to the United States in 1974, when he was just four years old, after the war in Laos. Thao became a naturalized US citizen in 1991 and has lived in the country for decades without any criminal record.
“We came here for a purpose, right? … To have a bright future. To have a safe place to live,” Thao said. “If this is going to turn out to be America, what are we doing here? Why are we here?”
What happened during the ICE raid in Minnesota
Thao said he was singing karaoke inside his apartment when ICE officers forced their way into the home. As the noise startled the family, they hid inside a bedroom before officers found him. He said agents escorted him out while he was still trying to locate his identification documents.
“They just took me out there with no clothes on and then just covered me with my grandson’s blanket. Yeah, they just took me out there, and I was like, ‘Man, this is, this is embarrassing,” Thao recalled.
The Trump administration is disgusting!
Yesterday, ICE raided a home on St. Paul’s East Side. Their target was ChongLy Scott Thao, an elderly Hmong American man.
He’s a U.S. citizen with no criminal record.
Armed ICE agents broke down the door without presenting a valid… pic.twitter.com/cJhysjhq6R
— Ed Krassenstein (@EdKrassen) January 19, 2026
Videos from the scene show Thao wearing only boxer shorts and Crocs, wrapped in a blanket, as officers led him into the snow. He said they refused to let him put on warmer clothes despite the extreme cold.
“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,” he told reporters.
ICE used force and humiliation, Says Family
Thao’s sister-in-law, Louansee Moua, described the incident in a Facebook post, calling the raid violent and traumatic. She referred to Thao as Saly, a family nickname.
“ICE came to my brother-in-law Saly’s apartment, broke down the door, trashed the place, handcuffed him, and put a gun to his daughter-in-law’s head. They did not allow him to put on proper clothing and forced him outside in freezing weather,” Moua wrote.
She said officers drove Thao around for nearly an hour, fingerprinted him, and questioned him before realizing he had no criminal history.
“They then dropped him back off at his apartment as if nothing happened,” she added.
Why does the family say this case goes beyond immigration
Moua said the family believes ICE officers were searching for someone who previously lived at the address but failed to verify identities before using force.
“We believe they were looking for someone who previously lived there, but instead of asking for identification, they chose violence, intimidation, and humiliation,” she wrote.
She also shared the family’s refugee history, noting that Thao’s mother, Nurse Choua Thao, helped save lives during the war in Laos and believed deeply in dignity and lawful citizenship.
“This is not about politics. This is about basic human rights, due process, and accountability,” Moua said.
What DHS said about the ChongLy Thao detention
The Department of Homeland Security said officers were investigating two convicted sex offenders at the address. DHS claimed a US citizen at the home refused fingerprinting and matched the description of the suspects.
“The US citizen lives with these two convicted sex offenders at the site of the operation. The individual refused to be fingerprinted or facially ID’d. He matched the description of the targets,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said.
DHS later released wanted posters, but relatives said one of the suspects no longer lived at the apartment. Thao’s family rejected DHS’s version, stating that he “does not live with, nor has he ever lived with, the individuals DHS claims were targets of this operation.”
Moua has launched a GoFundMe campaign to cover legal costs as Thao prepares to pursue accountability and protect his civil rights.
