ICE Breaks Down Door To Drag Half-Naked US Citizen Into Freezing Minnesota Cold, Releases After Error

ChongLy 'Scott' Thao was asleep in his St Paul home when armed Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers smashed through his front door, dragged him outside in nothing but underwear and sandals, and left him shivering in near-freezing Minnesota temperatures, all before realising they had detained the wrong man.

The 56-year-old naturalised US citizen, originally from Laos, spent up to two hours in handcuffs surrounded by more than a dozen Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on Sunday, 18 January 2026, according to his family and video footage reviewed by the Associated Press.

ICE later released Thao without apology, but the damage to his dignity, his sense of safety, and to public trust in federal enforcement was already done.

This action by ICE under Operation Metro Surge is facing intense backlash as it was captured on viral video, igniting a fresh wave of legal challenges and political condemnation as the 'federal invasion' of the Twin Cities enters its third week of high-stakes conflict.

Mistaken Detention in Sub-Zero Conditions

Thao was asleep when agents arrived and broke down the front door of his home in the East Side neighbourhood of St Paul. The armed officers ushered him outside in his underwear and sandals, with only a thin blanket around his shoulders, exposing him to Minnesota's harsh January cold.

Video of the incident shows Thao, handcuffed, surrounded by more than a dozen uniformed agents as neighbours and bystanders reacted in alarm. His 4-year-old grandson was reportedly present during the ordeal.

Thao was driven to an undisclosed location, where agents made him step out of the vehicle in the cold for photographs. He later told reporters he feared physical harm during the detainment and was denied access to his identification earlier in the incident.

After approximately one to two hours, ICE agents realised Thao was not the intended target of the operation and returned him to his home. At that point, they reportedly asked him to show his ID and left without offering an apology or explanation.

Thao's family has stated publicly that no convicted sex offenders lived at the address and directly disputed the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) justification that he matched a suspect description.

Operation Metro Surge And Legal Backlash

The ICE action forms part of Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement initiative that deploys thousands of officers into the Minneapolis–St. Paul metropolitan area. According to timelines compiled on the operation, the surge began in early January and has included heightened enforcement actions in workplaces, hospitals, schools, community spaces, and residential areas.

DHS said the St Paul operation was a 'targeted operation' looking for two convicted sex offenders believed to be associated with the residence where Thao lives. Officials explained that Thao initially refused facial identification and allegedly 'matched the description' of one of the targets, a claim Thao's family disputes.

The incident has intensified wider legal and constitutional challenges to ICE's tactics in Minnesota. A coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) filed a lawsuit (Hussen v. Noem) alleging racial profiling, suspicionless stops, and unlawful warrantless arrests during surge operations.

The suit asserts that federal agents have stopped, detained, and interrogated individuals, including US citizens, without probable cause, violating constitutional protections against unreasonable seizures.

A federal judge in Minneapolis, Katherine Menendez, issued a preliminary injunction on 16 January 2026, restricting DHS agents from detaining peaceful protest observers and from using crowd-control tools absent lawful cause, reflecting mounting judicial scrutiny of enforcement practices.

State authorities have also taken legal action. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, with support from local city officials, filed a suit seeking to halt the surge, describing federal conduct as unlawful and disruptive to community life. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has responded, calling Minnesota's motion for a restraining order 'legally frivolous' and arguing that stopping federal enforcement would grant states a veto over federal law.

Impact On Local Communities

The Thao incident has reignited concerns across the Twin Cities about ICE's methodology and its effect on civil liberties. Local politicians, including St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her, labelled the targeting of a family friend and community member as unjustifiable, heightening fears among immigrant and minority communities about enforcement overreach.

Residents and civil liberties advocates contend that the surge has led to fear and confusion, with reports of warrantless entries, stops of individuals who identify as US citizens, and excessive force. Although social media posts by locals narrate additional troubling interactions, such accounts remain unverified and have not been independently confirmed by journalists at this stage.

Critics argue that operations like Metro Surge risk violating constitutional safeguards, while DHS and DOJ maintain that aggressive tactics are necessary to apprehend undocumented immigrants linked to criminal activity.

ChongLy 'Scott' Thao said he now fears returning to normal life in his own home, and his family has indicated plans to pursue a civil rights lawsuit against federal authorities.