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St. Paul ICE raid concerns Hmong community
A viral video out of St. Paul shows federal agents swarming the home of Hmong immigrants, who maintain they are U.S. citizens, but were the subject of a raid regardless.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The immigration crackdown was initially supposed to focus on the Somali community, but other immigrant communities are feeling the effects.
‘Afraid they were going to take me away’
What we know:
Kong Vang says he didn't go looking for ICE, but they came knocking on his front door anyway.
"I'm upset. Frustrated. Scared. All types of emotions," said Vang.
Vang says he was working from home in St Paul's Frogtown neighborhood Monday afternoon when his mother told him there was a stranger at the door.
Suspecting it might be ICE, Vang grabbed his phone and started recording his interaction with the agents outside.
"I was really curious and wondering why they were here. I see they've been targeting people of color. That's the only reason I could think of why they were here," said Vang.
‘Just want to protect my family’
The backstory:
Vang says he lives with his parents, who came to the U.S. from Laos in the 70s, as well as his sister and son, and all of them are U.S. citizens.
But he was worried what would happen if he opened the door, so he never did.
"I was afraid they were going to take me away. Take my mom away. Just rush our house and do whatever it is they are trained to do with legal citizens who haven't done anything wrong," said Vang.
‘It shakes you to the core’
What they're saying:
Vang says the agents didn't tell him why they were there, and after about a minute and a half of back and forth, they left.
But he wants others in his community to know what is happening and, more importantly, to know their rights.
"They keep telling you they think they are doing the right thing, but they are not," said Vang.