ICE detention of Hmong American man probed as possible kidnapping

Federal immigration agents forced entry into a St. Paul home on Jan. 18 and detained ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a 56-year-old Hmong American later confirmed to be a U.S. citizen. Officers removed him from his house at gunpoint while he was wearing only his underwear in subfreezing temperatures and held him for about one to two hours before releasing him. Ramsey County officials are investigating whether the operation violated state law, saying that federal agents “may have committed the crimes of kidnapping, burglary, and false imprisonment.”

Thao said his daughter-in-law alerted him that agents were banging on the door and that he told her not to open it. Masked officers then forced their way inside, pointed guns at the family and handcuffed him after finding him in the home. He said agents refused to let him retrieve identification even after he asked his daughter-in-law to bring it to him.

Thao’s 4-year-old grandson watched and cried as agents led him from the house in handcuffs. Officers later drove him “to the middle of nowhere,” made him get out in the cold so they could photograph him and only then asked for the identification they had earlier prevented him from retrieving. He said agents eventually returned him home, made him show his ID and left without apologizing for detaining him or breaking down the door.

Federal officials said the operation targeted two convicted sex offenders believed to have ties to the address and stated that Thao “matched the description of the targets,” a claim disputed by Thao’s family. Thao and his relatives said neither man lived at the home and that only immediate family members resided there. The Minnesota Department of Corrections later confirmed that one of the two men federal authorities said they were seeking was already in prison at the time of the raid.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said those facts prompted a criminal investigation into whether the agents’ actions meet the legal definitions of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment. Fletcher said there is “no dispute” that Thao is a U.S. citizen and that he was “taken out of his house, forcibly taken out of his home and driven around.”

In a March 20 letter, county officials requested incident reports, body camera footage, communications records and identification of all personnel involved, along with any warrants or legal authorization for the operation. Officials set an April 30 deadline for a response and said they could file a lawsuit or convene a grand jury if federal agencies do not comply. Choi said the county is seeking to determine what evidence agents relied on and whether the operation can be prosecuted under state law.

The Department of Homeland Security rejected the county’s characterization of the case, stating, “ICE does not ‘kidnap’ people,” and calling the investigation a “political stunt to demonize ICE law enforcement.” Federal officials have also argued that local authorities may lack jurisdiction to investigate federal agents.

Ramsey County officials said they need records from DHS, ICE and federal prosecutors to determine how the operation was authorized, who took part and what evidence agents relied on before entering the home. Fletcher rejected claims that federal officers are beyond local scrutiny, stating, “There is no such thing as absolute immunity for federal agents.”