DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin refuted lies posted on X about ICE detaining a half-naked naturalized citizen this weekend.
Here’s the original post with the suggestion that what happened was completely unjustified and that this man’s rights were violated or something:
Yesterday, Reuters captured ICE breaking down a door and dragging a man out half-naked into the freezing cold in Saint Paul.
According to his sister-in-law, they returned him after realizing he’s a naturalized U.S. citizen with no criminal record. pic.twitter.com/3HReIKKo41
— Matt McDermott (@mattmfm) January 19, 2026
McLaughlin responding by giving the entire context for the interaction, writing:
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, and violating a protective order. Both also have convictions for failure to register as sex offenders. They both have final orders of removal from an immigration judge.
The US citizen lives with these two convicted sex offenders at the site of the operation. The individual refused to be fingerprinted or facially ID’d. He matched the description of the targets. 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.Both of these sexual predators remain AT LARGE in St. Paul. We will be providing the public with photos and descriptors to help us locate and apprehend these public safety threats.
In other words, absolutely justified.