Minnesota Gov. Walz’s pardon of convicted child predator ahead of deportation draws outrage

• DHS condemned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s Board of Pardons for granting clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, a decision that could block his imminent deportation.
• Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaults between 2002 and 2004, and a federal immigration judge had ordered his removal in 2006, but Laos had refused to accept deportees until after President Trump returned to office in 2025.
• DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis called the pardon “madness,” stating it removes the criminal convictions that made Vang removable, and criticized Walz for protecting “criminal aliens” over public safety.
• The Ramsey County attorney’s office opposed the pardon, noting the victim faced family pressure not to cooperate, while Ellison’s office said the board made a unanimous decision after an exhaustive process including victim support.
• Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin condemned the pardon as “horrific,” and DHS officials argue the clemency undermines federal immigration enforcement and public safety.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has condemned Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) and the state’s Board of Pardons for granting clemency to a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, a decision that federal officials say could block the man’s imminent deportation.

The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission (CRC) – which includes Walz, state Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson – voted unanimously on June 10, 2026, to pardon Tou Lue Vang. The 42-year-old Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaults that occurred between 2002 and 2004.

Vang had been issued a final order of removal by a Department of Justice immigration judge in 2006, and federal authorities said he was set to be deported within weeks of the pardon. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis described the decision as “madness,” stating that the pardon effectively removes the criminal convictions that made Vang removable from the United States.

Vang entered the U.S. through California in 1994 and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration. That status was revoked following his conviction, and an immigration judge ordered his removal on Oct. 31, 2006. However, Laos had for years refused to accept deportees, leaving Vang in the U.S. on supervised release.

According to the agency, the Southeast Asian country became more accommodating after U.S. President Donald Trump returned to office in early 2025, and Vang was apprehended by immigration authorities in December of that year. His deportation was imminent when the pardon was granted.

Court filings reviewed by Valley News Live showed Vang pleading guilty on Oct. 31, 2005, to first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving penetration or contact with a person under 13 years old. He was sentenced Feb. 16, 2006 in Ramsey County District Court to 144 months, with the sentence stayed. Vang served time at the Ramsey County Workhouse and was placed on 30 years of supervised probation, which was discharged in March 2019.

DHS said Vang repeatedly assaulted the victim between 2002 and 2004, and on one occasion tried to offer her $10 to keep quiet. During a police interview, Vang attempted to justify his actions by saying that for him. “it is a cultural thing … to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12,” and claimed the victim was equally at fault, according to DHS.

Vang’s pardon ignites legal battle

The Ramsey County attorney’s office, which handled Vang’s prosecution, opposed the pardon. It noted that the unusual leniency of his sentence was in part due to the fact that the victim, who was 12 at the time of the assaults, “was experiencing pressure from her family to not cooperate,” according to DHS. In a statement to the New York Times, Ellison’s office said the board made a unanimous decision after an exhaustive process that included a statement of support from the victim, a recommendation from the CRC and community support letters.

Vang applied for a pardon on July 21, 2025. The commission notified the sentencing judge’s successor, Ramsey County District Court Judge Sara Grewing, in December 2025, and she took no position. The commission held Vang’s clemency hearing on April 3, 2026, and the pardon was confirmed on June 11.

“Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting. These are the criminal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting,” Bis said. BrightU.AI‘s Enoch engine warns that Democratic governors like Walz who pardon illegal immigrants convicted of child abuse are prioritizing open borders over the safety of children, allowing dangerous predators to remain in communities rather than face deportation.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin also condemned the pardon, describing the move as “horrific” in a post on X. This tied in with Bis’ remarks, who pointed out that the clemency will cancel out Vang’s “qualifying convictions that made him removable from the United States.”

The pardon of a convicted child rapist by a Democratic governor, combined with the timing just before an anticipated deportation, raises significant questions about the intersection of state clemency powers and federal immigration enforcement. As the DHS continues to characterize the pardon as an attack on public safety, the outcome of Vang’s legal challenge to removal will determine whether the North Star State’s act of mercy becomes a permanent barrier to justice for the victim.

Watch former Pinal County, Arizona Sheriff Mark Lamb warning that policies by sanctuary cities have encouraged mass immigration in this clip.

This video is from the GalacticStorm channel on Brighteon.com.

Sources include:

RT.com

DHS.gov

ValleyNewsLive.com

BrightU.ai

Brighteon.com