Minnesota officials have come under renewed scrutiny after granting a pardon to an illegal immigrant convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a child, a decision that the Department of Homeland Security says removes the qualifying criminal convictions that made him subject to deportation.
The pardon was approved last month after the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted to clear the criminal record of Tou Lue Vang, who was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz later approved the recommendation as part of the state’s pardon process.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Vang repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004. DHS said that during one incident he offered the victim $10 in an effort to keep her from reporting the abuse.
The department also said Vang attempted to justify his actions during questioning by police, claiming they were rooted in cultural practices.
“It is a cultural thing […] to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12,” Vang told police, according to DHS.
The department further stated that Vang told investigators his 10-year-old victim shared responsibility and should also be arrested.
Following his 2006 conviction, a Department of Justice immigration judge issued a final order of removal against Vang.
According to DHS, Vang entered California from Laos in 1994 and later received legal status under former President Bill Clinton. That legal status was revoked after his conviction and subsequent removal order.
DHS also noted that Laos had largely refused to accept deportations from the United States until last year, allowing a number of Laotian nationals with final removal orders to remain in the country.
The department sharply criticized the decision to pardon Vang.
“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a Wednesday press release. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”
Bis also argued that the pardon has immigration consequences beyond clearing Vang’s criminal record.
“This pardon will take away this child rapist’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the United States,” she added.
Minnesota is designated by the Department of Justice as a sanctuary state, meaning state and local law enforcement agencies limit or prohibit cooperation with federal immigration authorities in certain circumstances.
The issue of sanctuary policies has recently been examined by House committees, with critics arguing such policies can prevent the deportation of criminal illegal immigrants.
According to The New York Times, Walz and other Minnesota pardon officials have acknowledged that the possibility of deportation is one of several factors considered when reviewing pardon requests submitted by convicted immigrants.
The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission was established in 2023 under Walz’s administration to review pardon applications and make recommendations to the Minnesota Board of Pardons. Under state law, every pardon must receive unanimous approval from the board’s three members: the governor, the state attorney general and the chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Walz previously sought to change that process in 2021 by allowing pardons to be approved with only two votes from the board. The Minnesota Supreme Court ruled the proposal unconstitutional in 2022.
Last month, Minnesota also granted a pardon to another illegal immigrant who had previously been convicted of felony robbery with a gun.
According to The New York Times, Minnesota granted 121 pardons and denied 14 during the past year. Data from the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission also showed that approximately 16 percent of pardon applications submitted between March 2025 and June 2026 cited the threat of deportation as a reason for requesting clemency.
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