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2w ago

Minnesota Board of Pardons Clears Man Convicted of Child Sexual Assault, Prompts Federal Rebuke

The June 10 pardon could erase the conviction that formed a 2006 final order of removal and leave deportation legally uncertain.

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FILE - The seal of U.S. Department of Homeland Security is seen before a news conference at ICE Headquarters in Washington, May 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing to examine the alleged misuse of federal funds intended for Minnesota social services and Medicaid programs. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 04: Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz testifies during a House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing in the U.S. Capitol Building on March 04, 2026 in Washington, DC. The committee held the hearing to examine the alleged misuse of federal funds intended for Minnesota social services and Medicaid programs. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Overview

  • The three‑person Minnesota Board of Pardons — Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson — voted to grant clemency to Tou Lue Vang at its June 10 meeting.
  • Vang pleaded guilty in 2006 to first‑degree criminal sexual conduct for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10‑year‑old and was issued a final order of removal that same year.
  • The Department of Homeland Security, including Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, publicly condemned the pardon and said removing the conviction could complicate or block his deportation.
  • State officials said a letter from the victim asking that Vang be spared and evidence of rehabilitation weighed heavily in the decision while the Ramsey County prosecutor’s office opposed the pardon.
  • Legal and practical immigration outcomes remain unresolved because a state pardon does not automatically halt federal removal proceedings and federal authorities could re-file or seek review, a dispute that has intensified partisan attacks and scrutiny of the clemency process.