Overview
- The Board of Pardons — Gov. Tim Walz, Chief Justice Natalie Hudson and Attorney General Keith Ellison — met in a special session and unanimously pardoned Jai Vang on Wednesday after ICE took him into custody and he faced imminent removal to Laos.
- Vang was convicted as an 18‑year‑old in 1994 for aiding and abetting an armed robbery, served a multi‑year sentence, and officials say he has no later convictions and has worked as a painter and carpenter while raising a family.
- The Clemency Review Commission recommended the pardon unanimously and the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office that prosecuted the original case reportedly supported clemency, prompting the board to fast‑track review before Vang’s scheduled deportation.
- Federal authorities have not said whether the state pardon removes the federal ground for removal, and earlier this month a similar emergency pardon led to a federal court stay and public criticism from Department of Homeland Security officials.
- The decision continues a pattern of time‑sensitive state pardons that test the line between state clemency power and federal immigration enforcement and could prompt further court fights or administrative challenges.