Gov. Tim Walz just used his pardon power to let a convicted child rapist stay in the country — because removing the conviction removes the deportation order. That's the deal: your government would rather shield a predator than enforce the law.
On June 10, the Minnesota Board of Pardons — Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson — unanimously pardoned Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Vang repeatedly raped a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004. He offered her $10 to stay quiet. When police questioned him, he called it "a cultural thing…to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12" and said his victim was just as guilty and should be arrested, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Vang entered the U.S. through California in 1994 and got legal status under the Clinton administration. A DOJ immigration judge revoked that status and ordered him removed after his conviction. But Laos refused to take its nationals back, so Vang stayed — until federal agents detained him last year during the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge" in Minnesota.
Now Walz and the pardon board have wiped his qualifying conviction. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis was blunt: "Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting. This pardon will take away this child rapist's qualifying convictions that made him removable from the United States." DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin called the decision "horrific" and said sanctuary politicians are protecting illegal alien criminals "over American citizens."
The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended the pardon in April on a 4-2 vote, with three members absent, according to the New York Post. Vang's application cited his rehabilitation and argued a pardon "could help him stay in the country with his wife and six children," Breitbart reported, citing the New York Times. He originally pleaded guilty under a plea deal that spared him prison time.
This isn't a one-off. In May, the same board pardoned Jai Vang, another Laotian citizen convicted of robbery, armed robbery, and DUI. Minnesota is designated a sanctuary state by the DOJ, meaning state and local law enforcement are restricted from cooperating with federal immigration authorities. Walz even tried to loosen pardon rules in 2021 to require only two of three board votes instead of unanimity — the Minnesota Supreme Court struck that down as unconstitutional in 2022.
Walz has not responded to DHS's criticism. The pardon letter from CRC executive director Carli Stark told Vang that being granted a pardon "is a notable achievement and a reflection of the work you have done since your conviction."
The question isn't whether a governor can pardon — it's whether he should use that power to short-circuit federal immigration law and keep a child rapist in an American community. Walz answered that question. The people of Minnesota deserve to know the price.
