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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Richard Luscombe and agencies

ICE detention of US citizen in Minnesota investigated as kidnapping, false arrest

Ice ChongLy Scott Thao United States Minnesota DHS Bob Fletcher John Choi St Paul Alex Pretti Donald Trump
a man looks off to the side
ChongLy “Scott” Thao during an interview with Reuters in his home a day after he was taken by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and later returned in St Paul, Minnesota on 19 January 2026. Photograph: Leah Millis/Reuters

Authorities in Minnesota are investigating the detention by federal immigration officers of a US citizen as a possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment.

The arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in January became symbolic of Operation Metro Surge, the Trump administration’s brutal crackdown in the twin cities of Minneapolis and St Paul.

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