Local Authorities Initiate Criminal Investigations into ICE Conduct During Raids Targeting United States Citizens
This is not an isolated case of administrative error. It represents the documented result of Operation Metro Surge. That was the Trump administration initiative in January 2026 that deployed thousands of federal agents across Minnesota. The operation produced over 3000 arrests. It also included multiple documented cases of warrantless home invasions and detentions of American citizens. Ramsey County and Hennepin County prosecutors are now treating federal agents as ordinary criminals under Minnesota law.
Ramsey County Criminal Investigation (Opened April 13 2026)
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher have formally opened a criminal investigation into the January 18 raid on the St. Paul home of ChongLy Scott Thao. Agents entered without a warrant. They removed the 56 year old naturalized citizen at gunpoint. He was wearing only underwear and a blanket in subfreezing temperatures. They transported him to an isolated location for photographs. They released him only after confirming his citizenship and clean record. Those facts should have been established prior to the raid.
Choi has classified the actions as potential kidnapping burglary and false imprisonment under Minnesota statutes. His office issued a Touhy demand for agent identities body camera footage and sworn testimony. Choi stated the office remains committed to a thorough examination of the facts. This case forms one of two active criminal investigations into federal agents from the Metro Surge operations. Three additional cases remain in preliminary review. Nine local law enforcement agencies in Ramsey County are now compiling evidence of felonious conduct by masked federal operatives.
Hennepin County Parallel Investigations
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is examining at least 17 separate incidents of alleged misconduct. These include the fatal shooting of United States citizen Renee Nicole Good and another citizen fatality involving Alex Pretti. The Minnesota Attorney General and Bureau of Criminal Apprehension have been engaged. Persistent federal non cooperation has necessitated civil litigation and public evidence repositories.
Broader Context of Operation Metro Surge
Department of Homeland Security maintains that every action targeted criminal suspects. Local documentation and video records demonstrate otherwise. United States citizens were removed from vehicles and private residences without probable cause. Families faced armed intimidation. St. Paul Mayor Kaohly Her and the affected family have directly refuted the federal claim that the Thao residence contained the targeted individuals. Agents reportedly refused to produce warrants or identification when challenged.
These investigations illustrate a core institutional failure. A federally funded apparatus operates with apparent disregard for Fourth and Fourteenth Amendment protections within state boundaries. Local prosecutors are applying Minnesota criminal law to armed federal actors who appear to treat domestic soil as an extension of border enforcement zones. Federal resistance to evidence requests continues while citizen complaints accumulate.
This situation exposes the practical limits of federal immunity claims when confronted with state level criminal jurisdiction. Choi Fletcher Moriarty and Ellison are not pursuing political objectives. They are enforcing applicable state statutes against individuals who exercised state sanctioned violence without legal predicate. The enforcement apparatus bankrolled by public taxes serves billionaire deportation quotas and donor class labor suppression. Local accountability remains the only remaining check on this domestic state terror machine.
A U.S. citizen says ICE forced open the door to his Minnesota home and removed him in his underwear after a warrantless search — Associated Press via PBS NewsHour (Jan 20, 2026)
ICE arrests underdressed Hmong American man inside his St. Paul home over mistaken identity, family says — CBS News Minnesota (Jan 20, 2026)
Ramsey County Attorney and Sheriff seek information from the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding possible kidnapping and other charges of federal agents — Midway Como Frogtown Monitor (Apr 13, 2026)
ICE target was already in prison when agents detained St. Paul man in his underwear, DOC says — CBS News Minnesota (Jan 23, 2026)
