Ramsey County officials are suing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to compel the agency to cooperate in a local investigation into how federal agents treated a St. Paul man when they dragged him out of his house in January while he was half-clothed.

Investigation Details

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher plan to announce the civil lawsuit. The lawsuit asks a federal judge to order Homeland Security to cooperate with their investigation, and to provide requested information, citing the federal government’s refusal to comply with local authorities’ demands.

Choi and Fletcher are investigating a Jan. 18 incident during which federal immigration agents dragged ChongLy Scott Thao, a U.S. citizen who was 56 at the time, out of his home on St. Paul’s East Side into the freezing cold in January wearing only shorts and sandals.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a statement in April saying that its agents raided Thao’s home to execute a search warrant while looking for another man, who was later found to be in a state prison at the time.

Thao told Sahan Journal at the time federal agents yelled and banged on his door as he and his family were inside. They also asked for IDs. The agents broke through the front door and pointed guns at Thao and his family as they searched the home without a warrant, Thao said.

The agents then handcuffed Thao and paraded him outside into the 10-degree weather, ignoring his requests to put on some clothes before exiting the home. Thao told Sahan Journal that agents drove him around for an hour, asking him questions about where he was born and his visa status, before dropping him off at home.

Original reporting: Sahan Journal — read the source article.