Video Captured by Reuters Shows Old Man Hustled Outside by ICE • Jewish Breaking News

In video captured by Reuters, ChongLy “Saly” Scott Thao, a Hmong man originally from Laos, was dragged out of his home in subzero temperatures wearing only underpants, shoes and a blanket as his daughter-in-law and five-year-old grandchild wept. The U.S. citizen was forced into a car and driven by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents for more than an hour as they questioned him, then was driven back home.

“ICE came to my brother-in-law Saly’s apartment, broke down the door, trashed the place, handcuffed him, and put a gun to his daughter-in-law’s head,” his sister-in-law, Louansee Moua, wrote in a Facebook post. “They did not allow him to put on proper clothing and forced him outside in freezing weather.”

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“Saly is a naturalized U.S. citizen. He has NO criminal record,” she asserted.

“ICE drove him around for nearly an hour, questioned him, and fingerprinted him,” she added. “Only after all of that did they realize he had no criminal history and no reason to be detained. They then dropped him back off at his apartment like nothing happened.”

She wrote that his story is all the more poignant because he was born prematurely during the war in Laos to a woman who could not care for him. The nurse who delivered the baby adopted him and ensured he became a naturalized U.S. citizen because “she believed deeply in doing things the right way, in protecting life, dignity, and family.”

“To see her son treated like this, in front of family, with weapons drawn, is beyond traumatic,” Moua added.

The five-year-old grandson was taking a nap on the couch when ICE agents broke down the door and pointed a gun at his mother’s head. Thao has a clean record, and the family has been living there for two years.

Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin offered an explanation of sorts in a social media post.

“These convicted sex offenders remain AT LARGE in St. Paul, Minnesota,” she wrote. “Lue Moua, a criminal illegal alien from Laos, is wanted for sexual assault of a minor, rape, kidnapping, and domestic violence. Kongmeng Vang, a criminal illegal alien from Laos, is wanted for sexual assault, gang activity, and assault. Both have final orders of removal from an Immigration Judge.”

“We believe they were looking for someone who previously lived there,” Moua confirmed, “but instead of asking for identification, they chose violence, intimidation, and humiliation.”