The Department of Homeland Security is slamming Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after his state’s Board of Pardons granted clemency to a convicted child sex offender facing deportation — a move federal officials say could block the Trump administration from removing him from the United States.
Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national, repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004. He was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2006 and lost his legal immigration status.
An immigration judge issued a final order of removal in 2006. For years, Laos refused to accept deportees. That changed after President Trump returned to office in 2025.
Federal officials say Vang was on the verge of being deported when the Minnesota Board of Pardons — which includes Walz, Democratic Attorney General Keith Ellison, and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson — voted to pardon him on June 10.
“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 the pardon will strip away the convictions that made Vang removable from the United States.
“These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting,” Bis said in a DHS statement. “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.”
Court documents cited by DHS show Vang attempted to pay the victim $10 to remain silent about the abuse.
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. He argued the victim should also be arrested, according to court records.
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 letter 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 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 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.
