The Department of Homeland Security is condemning Minnesota leaders after the state’s Board of Pardons granted clemency to a man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, a move the Trump administration says could complicate his removal from the United States.
The board, which includes Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted on June 10 to pardon Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who lost his legal immigration status after his 2006 conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.
According to DHS, Vang lost his legal immigration status following his conviction and was issued a final order of removal by an immigration judge in 2006. For years, Laos refused to accept many deportees, a policy that changed after President Donald Trump returned to office in 2025. Federal officials say he was on the verge of being deported before the pardon was granted.
“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a statement released by DHS.
“These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting,” Bis added. “Following the conviction, he was placed in removal proceedings and issued a final order of removal by a judge. This pardon will take away this child rapist’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the United States.”
According to court documents cited by DHS, Vang repeatedly sexually assaulted a girl between 2002 and 2004. Investigators said he attempted to pay the victim $10 to remain silent about the abuse. Court records also state that during a police interview, Vang attempted to justify his actions by claiming it was “a cultural thing” to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12, and argued the victim should also be arrested.
According to the New York Times, the Minnesota Board of Pardons granted the pardon after a review process that included letters submitted on Vang’s behalf. One of those letters came from the victim herself, who told the board she had forgiven Vang and supported his request for clemency. Minnesota officials have said the victim’s statement weighed heavily in their decision.
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office, which prosecuted the original case, opposed the pardon. Prosecutors argued the offense was exceptionally serious and noted Vang had originally received a lenient sentence in part because the victim, who was 12 when the case was prosecuted, faced pressure from family members not to cooperate with authorities.
DHS also pointed to the decision as part of what it says is a broader pattern. The department noted that Minnesota’s Clemency Review Commission previously approved a pardon for another Laotian immigrant whose criminal history included armed robbery and drunk driving.
The controversy comes as the Trump administration continues to prioritize the deportation of criminal non-citizens and has repeatedly criticized Democratic-led states over immigration enforcement and so-called sanctuary policies.
Whether the pardon ultimately prevents Vang’s deportation remains to be determined through the immigration court system. However, federal officials argue that removing the conviction underlying his removal order could significantly complicate those efforts.
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