ICE Dragged an Elderly Man in Underwear Into the Freezing Cold
Quick Read
Summary
Takeaways
- ❖ICE agents stormed the home of an elderly U.S. citizen, Chung Lee Scott Tao, in Minnesota, dragging him out in his underwear in freezing weather.
- ❖Despite being a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, Mr. Tao was handcuffed, questioned for an hour, and fingerprinted before being released without apology.
- ❖DHS's defense, claiming Mr. Tao lived with convicted sex offenders and matched their description, was publicly and categorically refuted by his family as false.
Insights
1Gratuitous Force and Humiliation by ICE Against a U.S. Citizen
ICE agents, without a warrant, stormed the home of Chung Lee Scott Tao, an elderly U.S. citizen, in St. Paul, Minnesota. They dragged him out in his underwear into 12-degree weather, handcuffed him, and paraded him in front of his neighbors. He was then questioned for an hour, fingerprinted, and released after ICE confirmed his U.S. citizenship and lack of criminal record. The hosts emphasize the unnecessary humiliation and health risk posed by this treatment.
On January 18th, ICE agents stormed Mr. Tao's house, dragged him out in a bathrobe and underwear into freezing temperatures, placed him in an SUV, questioned him for an hour, fingerprinted him, and then confirmed he was a U.S. citizen with no criminal record. (, , , , , )
2DHS's False Justification and Family's Categorical Denial
DHS spokesperson Trisha McLaughlin publicly defended ICE's actions by claiming Mr. Tao lived with two convicted sex offenders and matched their description, implying racial profiling. However, Mr. Tao's family later released a statement categorically denying these claims, stating he lives only with his son, daughter-in-law, and young grandson, and does not know the individuals DHS referenced. The family highlighted Mr. Tao's severe psoriasis, exacerbated by cold and stress, and announced legal action.
Trisha McLaughlin stated ICE conducted a targeted operation for two convicted sex offenders, claiming the U.S. citizen lived with them and matched the description of targets (, ). The family's statement explicitly denied this, asserting Mr. Tao is a U.S. citizen with no criminal record, does not live with the alleged targets, and suffers from severe psoriasis (, ).
3Systemic Lack of Accountability and Disregard for Rights
The hosts argue that this incident is part of a broader pattern where ICE operates with impunity, often detaining individuals with no criminal record and facing minimal accountability. They point to the fact that over half of ICE's detainees have no criminal record, contradicting official narratives. The Department of Justice's inaction on an FBI civil rights investigation into a separate ICE shooting further illustrates this perceived lack of oversight.
The hosts cite DHS's own stats showing 47% of detainees have no criminal record (). They question if there's 'anything ICE could do that the administration would not defend' (). They also reference a Washington Post report detailing an FBI civil rights investigation into an ICE officer's shooting of Renee Good, which the DOJ is not pursuing ().
Lessons
- Be aware of your rights and the rights of others when interacting with law enforcement, especially regarding warrants and identification requests.
- Question official government narratives, particularly when they are contradicted by direct accounts from affected individuals or families.
- Support organizations advocating for civil liberties and government accountability to address potential overreach by federal agencies like ICE.
Quotes
"At no point did they do anything humane at all. Instead, they paraded this guy in front of his neighborhood, humiliated him, endangered his health."
"In her defense statement, Trisha Mlaughlin says, 'We got it wrong. We racially profiled and the people who were targeting are still on the loose.'"
"Mr. Tao is a United States citizen with no criminal record. He does not live with nor has he ever lived with the individual's DHS claims were targets of this operation."
Q&A
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