Grandfather Speaks Out on ICE Detaining Him in His Underwear at Home; Officials Claim They Were Hunting 2 Sex Predators

Grandfather Speaks Out on ICE Detaining Him in His Underwear at Home; Officials Claim They Were Hunting 2 Sex Predators

“What did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything," ChongLy “Scott” Thao said in a new interview in response to viral footage of his detainment on Sunday

Charna Flam, Sam Gillette

Wed, January 21, 2026 at 4:49 PM UTC

5 min read

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NEED TO KNOW

ChongLy “Scott” Thao, a U.S. citizen and grandfather living in Minnesota, was detained at his home by ICE agents on Sunday, Jan. 18
He had to leave in only underwear, sandals and a blanket amid 12-degree weather, according to his family, who is looking into legal action
An ICE spokesperson says that the agents were searching for two criminal suspects at the property

A U.S. citizen and grandfather is speaking out after he was removed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from his St. Paul, Minn., home in his underwear in subfreezing conditions — though federal authorities maintain they were seeking two other criminal suspects at the property.

On Sunday, Jan. 18, ICE agents detained ChongLy “Scott” Thao, who immigrated from Laos and who has been a U.S. citizen for decades, according to the Associated Press.

Footage of the encounter quickly went viral.

“I was shaking,” Thao told the AP. “They didn’t show any warrant; they just broke down the door.”

Thao was held in approximately 12-degree weather at the rental home he shares with his son, Chris Thao, his daughter-in-law and his 4-year-old grandson, family relative and spokesperson Louansee Moua said in a statement to PEOPLE.

Thao said agents handcuffed him in front of his crying grandson.

The Department of Homeland Security was searching for two "convicted sex offenders," Lue Moua and Kongmeng Vang, ICE spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said, claiming that Thao lives with them.

Public records indicate both men have felony criminal histories but neither of them is listed in the Minnesota sex offender registry, despite ICE describing them as sex offenders.

Thao's family has strongly denied this version of events, including that Thao lives with the two ICE suspects.

McLaughlin also alleged that Thao "matched the description of the targets."

Louansee Moua, the Thao family spokesperson, says his treatment by federal officers was "distressing and demeaning."

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AP Photo/Jack Brook Chongly — AP Photo/Jack Brook
Chongly "Scott" Thao at his home on Monday, Jan. 19

“Mr. Thao did not resist and went with agents voluntarily, despite the absence of an explanation for his detention at the time,” she says, adding, "The family asks the media to avoid speculation and to respect their privacy while they pursue appropriate legal remedies."

It remains unclear what, precisely, drew ICE to Thao's residence given these competing accounts. ICE did not respond to follow-up questions.

But before agents arrived at his doorstep, they stopped Chris, Thao's son, on his way home from work, according to the AP.

Chris was driving a car that he borrowed from his cousin’s boyfriend and which is owned by someone with the same first name as a person that DHS was seeking to locate, the AP reported, citing DHS officials.

A review of public records by PEOPLE does not indicate any property link between Thao and the two ICE suspects.

Thao told the AP that "he had never seen these men before" and that they did not live with him.

When agents arrived, they banged on his front door and he did not answer, according to the AP. The armed ICE agents forced entry and pointed their weapons at the family.

While the agents were at the residence, Thao said, he attempted to prove his citizenship by asking his daughter-in-law to find his identification. (ICE has claimed that "refused to be fingerprinted or facially ID’d.")

Thao says the agents rejected his attempt at identification. He was then escorted in just his underwear, sandals and a blanket and subsequently taken "to the middle of nowhere," he said, before the agents sought to photograph him.

That's when he was asked for his ID, he said, and authorities went on to confirm his citizenship. He was back home within hours.

The agents departed without apologizing for the arrest or the damage to the property, according to the AP.

Thao told the outlet that he doesn’t “feel safe at all” in his home, adding, “What did I do wrong? I didn’t do anything.”

Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty ICE agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026 — Christopher Juhn/Anadolu via Getty
ICE agents in Minneapolis on Jan. 7, 2026

McLaughlin, with ICE, has defended the decision to hold Thao, saying in part in her statement: ”As with any law enforcement agency, it is standard protocol to hold all individuals in a house of an operation for safety of the public and law enforcement.”

An ICE spokesperson later identified the men they were searching for as Lue Moua and Kongmeng Vang.

Moua "is wanted for sexual assault of a minor, rape, kidnapping, and domestic violence," and Vang "is wanted for sexual assault, gang activity, and assault," the spokesperson said.

Neither man has legal status in the country and "has final orders of removal" from an immigration judge, the spokesperson said.

The Thao family’s spokesperson, Louansee Moua, says that the family is “aware” of the DHS’ account and that “key assertions” don’t reflect their own “firsthand knowledge of the events or the living situation at the residence.”

The Thao family has filed complaints with the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and the Office of Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, Louansee says.

According to the AP, they are also seeking legal counsel and intend to file a civil rights lawsuit against DHS.

Read the original article on People

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