Minnesota Officials Pardon Illegal Immigrant Child Rapist Slated For Deportation

Minnesota officials pardoned a child rapist while the case remained slated for deportation, a move that removed qualifying convictions needed to proceed. Minnesota authorities approved the pardon for Tou Lue Vang, described as an “illegal immigrant” and a sex offender, after the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted to wipe his criminal record. The pardon was approved by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz, according to the report, and follows a 2006 first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction. DHS states Vang repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl from 2002 to 2004 and even offered $10 to keep quiet; it also cites remarks he made to police about cultural justifications. A DOJ immigration judge had issued a final removal order, and Vang’s legal status, obtained after entry from Laos in 1994, was revoked after conviction. The article links the decision to sanctuary-state policies and references prior Minnesota changes to pardon voting rules.