A decision by Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and the state’s Board of Pardons to grant clemency to a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly raping a young girl has drawn sharp criticism after records showed several members of the state’s clemency commission cited concerns about his immigration status when recommending the pardon.
According to documents reviewed by Fox News Digital, the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted 4-2 to recommend a pardon for Tue Lue Vang, a 42-year-old illegal immigrant convicted of criminal sexual conduct involving a child. Commissioners who opposed the recommendation pointed to the severity of Vang’s crimes, while those supporting clemency repeatedly referenced the possibility of his deportation.
Commissioner Zach Linstrom described the matter as a “very tough case,” writing that Vang’s children not having a father “is not in the best interest of society.” Commissioner Artika Roller also cited immigration concerns, noting that Vang sought clemency because of issues related to his immigration status.
Following the commission’s recommendation, Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, who make up the Minnesota Board of Pardons, granted Vang a full pardon on June 10, clearing his criminal record as he faced deportation proceedings.
The decision prompted immediate backlash from Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis, who called the pardon “disgusting.”
“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”
Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and was later granted legal status during the Clinton administration.
Court records state that between 2002 and 2004, Vang repeatedly had sexual intercourse with the victim four to six times in Ramsey County, Minnesota. The abuse began when the girl was in fourth grade. Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital state the victim “did not understand what Vang was doing, so she let him.” The records also indicate that she later confided in friends, who described her as “angry and sad.” According to the documents, Vang also offered the victim $10 to remain silent.
Ramsey County District Court Judge Sara Grewing did not take a position on the pardon request. However, Ramsey County Assistant Attorney Tami McConkey formally opposed it.
McConkey explained that prosecutors originally offered Vang a dispositional departure because the then-12-year-old victim was under pressure from family members not to cooperate with law enforcement after his arrest.
Although Vang was sentenced to 12 years in prison, the sentence was stayed in favor of 30 years of supervised probation that included one year of local confinement. He ultimately served eight months at the county correctional workhouse before being released, and his probation ended early in 2019.
McConkey also identified several aggravating factors, including that the abuse occurred over an extended period, that Vang transported the victim to his home during one incident, and that he did not use sexual protection.
According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital, Vang told investigators after his arrest, “I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.” The complaint further states that Vang said the victim “should be arrested also because she was as much at fault.”
McConkey argued that while Vang expressed remorse over the impact his conviction had on his own family, he failed to demonstrate meaningful understanding of the harm suffered by the victim.
Several commissioners nevertheless pointed to the victim’s support for clemency. Commissioner Nadine Graves cited the victim’s support, Vang’s wife’s forgiveness, his early discharge from probation and his immigration concerns. She also wrote that Vang had withdrawn his earlier statement blaming culture and acknowledged his conduct “was wrong then and will always be wrong.”
Commissioner Perry Moriearty wrote that despite the “extraordinary severity” of the offense, there was evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and acceptance of responsibility, while also noting Vang faced deportation and that the victim supported the pardon.
In his clemency application, Vang expressed regret for his crimes and said he feared being removed to Laos, a country he described as unfamiliar because he arrived in the United States as a child. He wrote that he worried deportation would leave his six children without a father.
Despite receiving a pardon, Vang was ultimately removed from the United States. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that he terminated Vang’s legal status and that Vang had been deported to Laos.
“Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children,” Rubio told Fox News Digital. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”
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