Former Vice President Candidate and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz Pardons Convicted Child Rapist, Blocks Deportation

National News - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is condemning Minnesota Governor Tim Walz after he and fellow state leaders granted a pardon to a convicted child rapist who was facing deportation. The decision could now let the man stay in the country.

On June 10, 2026, the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted to pardon Tou Lue Vang, a criminal illegal alien from Laos. Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct.

Vang was set to be removed from the United States almost immediately. Now, thanks to this pardon, that removal could be blocked entirely.

Court filings show Vang repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004. He once offered his young victim $10 to keep quiet about the abuse. When police questioned him, he tried to justify his crimes by claiming it was "a cultural thing...to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12." He even claimed the child was just as guilty as he was.

Following his conviction, a Department of Justice Immigration Judge issued Vang a final order of removal on October 31, 2006. That order stood for nearly two decades - until now.

"Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting," said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. "These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting. Tou Lue Vang lost his legal status following his conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. 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."

Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and was granted legal status under the Clinton Administration. That status was revoked the moment he was convicted and ordered removed in 2006.

This isn't the first time Minnesota's Clemency Review Commission has pardoned an illegal alien with a violent record. Just last month, the commission pardoned Jai Vang, another criminal illegal alien from Laos, whose rap sheet includes armed robbery of a business and driving under the influence.

(Source Document Below)