US immigration officers drag barely-clothed man through snow

A Minnesota man told Reuters on Monday he felt fear, shame and desperation a day after ICE officers broke down his door with guns drawn, handcuffed him and dragged him into the snow wearing shorts and Crocs.

ChongLy Thao, 56, a naturalized US citizen who goes by the name Scott, was returned home later on Sunday without explanation or apology, he said.

“I was praying. I was like, God, please help me, I didn’t do anything wrong. Why do they do this to me? Without my clothes on,” Thao, a Hmong man born in Laos, told Reuters from his home on Monday, while neighbors were at work fixing the broken door.

Pictures of the incident showing Thao barely clothed and covered in a blanket spread on social media, further fueling concern that federal law enforcement officers were exceeding their authority as part of US President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown, which has seen some 3,000 officers deployed in the Minneapolis area.

The US Department of Homeland Security said officers were investigating two convicted sex offenders at the address and that a U.S. citizen living there refused to be fingerprinted or facially identified, so he was detained.