Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk has blasted radical leftists in Minnesota after reports that activists interfered with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers seeking to arrest a convicted child predator.
“It is pure evil for people to stop the arrest of child predators,” Musk wrote on X.
It is pure evil for people to stop the arrest of child predators https://t.co/WRLVMXIvop
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 19, 2026
Musk was responding to reports that ICE agents briefly detained a U.S. citizen who refused to cooperate during an operation aimed at locating two convicted sex offenders.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, the individual, later released, was living at the address associated with the two offenders and declined to identify himself or submit to fingerprinting when agents arrived.
Viral Photo Sparks Backlash, DHS Pushes Back
The operation drew international attention after Reuters published a viral photograph showing agents arresting a man wearing shorts and Crocs with a blanket draped over his shoulders in snowy St. Paul.
Critics seized on the image to attack ICE.
“Marching half-naked elderly people out into the snow, your tax dollars at work,” columnist Jill Filipovic wrote on X while sharing the photo.
DHS disputed that framing, stating that agents went to the residence on Sunday to apprehend two convicted sex offenders whose records include sex with a minor, sexual assault, domestic violence, first-degree sexual assault with penetration, violating a protective order, and failure to register as sex offenders.
“Both also have final orders of removal from an immigration judge,” DHS said.
Agents encountered ChongLy Thao, 56, inside the home.
DHS said Thao refused to identify himself or be fingerprinted, prompting agents to take him into custody to verify his identity.
He was later released.
“He matched the description of the targets,” DHS said.
“As with any law enforcement agency, it is standard protocol to hold all individuals in a house of an operation for safety of the public and law enforcement.”
Yesterday in St. Paul, ICE conducted a targeted operation of 2 convicted sex offenders. One of the criminal targets had convictions for sex with a minor and sexual assault. The other target had convictions for sex assault with penetration in the first degree, domestic violence,…
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) January 19, 2026
Suspects Remain at Large
DHS said the two convicted sex offenders remain “at large in St. Paul” and pledged to release photos and descriptions to assist in locating and apprehending them.
Reuters reported that Thao is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Laos.
His family later called the detention “unnecessary, degrading, and deeply traumatizing,” and a relative told Reuters that one of the suspects previously lived at the address but had moved out.
Activists Blocking Justice for Child Sex Abusers
As Slay News reported earlier, another ICE operation was blocked by leftists in Minnesota.
A viral video circulating on social media appears to show leftist agitators actively interfering with a federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation targeting an alleged child predator in Minnesota.
The video, posted to X and viewed more than 750,000 times within hours, shows an ICE agent confronting individuals in St. Paul.
The agent said the anti-ICE activists were honking car horns and obstructing federal officers as they attempted to take a suspect into custody.
Heightened Tensions in the Twin Cities
The incident comes less than two weeks after an ICE-involved shooting in Minneapolis left Renee Nicole Good, 37, dead, sparking widespread anti-ICE protests across the Twin Cities.
Minnesota’s Democrat Gov. Tim Walz and Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey have demanded that federal immigration officials leave the area.
Despite local opposition, the Trump administration has surged additional immigration enforcement agents into Minnesota.
In the past six weeks, federal officials have “arrested 3,000 criminal illegal aliens including vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles, and incredibly dangerous individuals,” Kristi Noem announced Monday.
DHS says roughly 10,000 criminal illegal aliens have been arrested in Minneapolis over the past 12 months.
Noem called the operation a “victory for public safety,” as federal officials continue to defend the enforcement push amid ongoing protests and political pressure.
READ MORE – Minneapolis Mayor: Violent Anti-ICE Rioters Are Just Expressing ‘Love’
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