Ramsey County officials investigate ICE arrest of underdressed Hmong American man as possible kidnapping

Officials in Ramsey County, Minnesota, said Monday they are launching an investigation into the arrest of a Hmong American man as possible kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment by federal agents.

Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said it is one of two active investigations into the actions of federal agents during Operation Metro Surge. Three other cases are in the preliminary stage.

Videos showed federal agents breaking down 56-year-old U.S. citizen ChongLy Scott Thao's door without a warrant in January. They brought him out in the cold with little more than a blanket and his underwear. 

Choi said nine law enforcement agencies in Ramsey County are investigating other potentially felonious conduct by federal agents. A number of victims have come forward to file police reports.

"We have diligently been working on trying to get to the truth. This is not about any type of predetermined agenda, other than to seek the truth and to investigate the facts," Choi said. "And we have, I believe in the state of Minnesota, a sovereign right and a huge public interest to have a local investigation."

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, has refused so far to cooperate with other state and local investigations into the killings by federal officers of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis during the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.

Choi said they're trying to determine whether any crimes were committed that they could prosecute under state or federal law.

Agents eventually realized Thao was a longtime U.S. citizen with no criminal record, Thao said in an interview with The Associated Press in January. They returned him to his home after a couple of hours.

Homeland Security later said ICE officers had been seeking two convicted sex offenders. But Thao told the AP he had never seen the two men before and that they did not live with him.

Videos captured the scene, which included people blowing whistles and horns, and neighbors screaming at more than a dozen gun-toting agents to leave Thao's family alone.

The state and the chief prosecutor in Hennepin County, which includes Minneapolis, sued the Trump administration last month to gain access to evidence they say they need to independently investigate three shootings by federal officers in Minneapolis, including the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti.

The lawsuit accuses the federal government of reneging on its promise to cooperate with state investigations after the surge of around 3,000 federal law enforcement officers into Minnesota.

Minnesota and Hennepin County have also appealed to the public to share information about federal officers' potentially illegal activities, given the refusal by federal authorities to provide evidence.

The Trump administration has suggested Minnesota officials don't have jurisdiction to investigate those cases. State and county prosecutors say they need to conduct their own inquiries because they don't trust the federal government.

The Justice Department in January said it was opening a federal civil rights investigation into Pretti's killing, and two officers have been placed on leave, but the agency said a similar federal probe was not warranted in Good's death.

This story will be updated.