A man, whose family requested a Hmong interpreter, is detained after ICE agents and other law enforcement officers conducted an immigration raid at his home, days after an ICE agent fatally shot Renee Nicole Good, in St. Paul, Minnesota, U.S., January 18, 2026. REUTERS/Leah Millis TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
The family of a man in St. Paul, Minnesota, who President Donald Trump's immigration agents detained on a snowy day while he was wearing only his underwear, spoke out on Monday and categorically denied many of the claims the administration made about the incident.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided the home of ChongLy Scott Thao on Sunday and detained Thao and two other individuals with whom he lives. After they were released, Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin posted a lengthy statement on X saying ICE officers had targeted two sex offenders at the residence, both of whom remain at large.
Thao's family released a statement on Monday, forcibly pushing back against McLaughlin's assertions.
"Mr. Thao is a United States citizen with no criminal record," the statement reads in part. "He does not live with, nor has he ever lived with, the individuals DHS claims were targets of this operation. The only people living at the residence are Mr. Thao, his daughter-in-law, and his young grandson. They do not know the individuals DHS references."
"The family strongly objects to DHS's attempt to publicly justify this conduct with false and misleading claims," the statement continued. "These statements have caused additional harm to a family already struggling to recover from a terrifying and unjustified encounter."