ChongLy Scott Thao was having a Sunday afternoon nap when his daughter-in-law woke him with alarming news. Federal agents were banging on the door of their St Paul home. He told her not to answer. Moments later, masked officers smashed through the door with guns drawn.
What happened next has become one of the most widely shared images from Minnesota's ongoing immigration crackdown. Thao, a 56-year-old US citizen, was dragged out into -12°C (10°F) weather wearing nothing but blue shorts and Crocs, a baby blanket thrown over his bare shoulders, his hands cuffed behind his back. 'I was scared, so I didn't know what was going on,' Thao said. 'I thought maybe they got the wrong person, and then they just told me to come out there and handcuffed me.' They had got the wrong person. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers drove Thao around for about an hour, questioning and fingerprinting him, before eventually dropping him back home. No apology. No explanation.
