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Minnesota officials, including Democrat Gov. Tim Walz, last month pardoned an illegal immigrant who was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl and who was slated to be deported.
With the recommendation of the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission (CRC), the Minnesota Board of Pardons — led by Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Chief Justice Natalie Hudson — granted a pardon for Laos national Tou Lue Vang, 42, at its June 10 meeting, according to a letter informing Vang of the decision from Carli Stark, the executive director of the state CRC.
The pardon essentially gives Vang a clean slate.
“Being granted a pardon is a notable achievement and a reflection of the work you have done since your conviction,” Stark wrote in her letter to Vang.
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The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted to grant a pardon for Tou Lue Vang, 42, despite his conviction for sexually assaulting a young girl, just before he was expected to be deported back to Loas. (Getty Images; Department of Homeland Security)
Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Between 2002 and 2006, he repeatedly sexually assaulted the girl.
At one point, he offered her $10 to keep quiet about the abuse, according to DHS.
He pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a plea deal that spared him from going to prison.
“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz is part of the Minnesota Board of Pardons that granted a pardon for Laos national sex offender Tou Lue Vang. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images, File)
Bis noted that Vang lost his legal status following his conviction.
Digital has reached out to Walz, the White House and the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted Vang for the assaults.
When he was arrested on charges in 2005, Vang admitted to having sexual contact with the girl but blamed cultural norms in Thailand, according to the complaint obtained by the New York Times.
The CRC, which includes nine members, voted to approve Mr. Vang’s petition in April. Four members voted in favor, two voted against, and three were absent, the Times reported.
The board takes the commission’s review into account but retains the ultimate authority to grant or deny pardons.
In his application, Vang cited his years of rehabilitation and argued that he has taken full responsibility for his actions.
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Vang entered the U.S. through California in 1994, and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration. That status was revoked upon his conviction and final order of removal in 2006.
He was detained by federal authorities last year as part of the Trump administration’s “Operation Metro Surge” in Minnesota.
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President Donald Trump has repeatedly criticized Walz and Minnesota officials over sanctuary policies that protect illegal immigrants, even those convicted of violent crimes, from federal authorities.
DHS noted that the Review Commission has granted pardons to undocumented immigrants before.
In May, the state pardoned Jai Vang, a Laotian citizen whose criminal history includes convictions for robbery, armed robbery of a business, and driving under the influence of liquor.
