Minnesota Governor Tim Walz defended his decision to pardon an immigrant convicted of child rape, while questioning the security rationale for the Trump administration's deportation of the individual from the US.
Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old Lao national, was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual assault against a 10-year-old girl. Vang was pardoned by the Minnesota Board of Pardons on June 10, but last week the US administration revoked his legal status and deported him to Laos.
Governor Walz criticized the deportation, asking, "Did this make us safer? Did it make the children left behind more stable?" Walz acknowledged the crimes were horrific, but said the pardon was not about immigration policy and that the board did not grant clemency to other applicants facing immigration consequences.
Rubio announces deportation and criticizes Walz
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Vang's deportation and sharply criticized Walz. Rubio said, "Americans should not have to live in fear that foreign sexual predators, protected from deportation by their elected officials, could endanger them or their children." Rubio added, "That is why I revoked his legal status in the US. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never again pose a threat to any American."
Tou Lue Vang entered the US via California in 1994 and gained legal status during the Clinton administration. He admitted to repeatedly sexually assaulting the victim in St. Paul, Minnesota, between 2002 and 2004.
Pardon decision and reactions from US officials
Following a clemency recommendation from the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission, the Board of Pardons, consisting of Governor Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, approved the pardon. Walz defended his decision, citing the victim's support for the pardon. A spokesperson for Attorney General Ellison's office stated that the pardon did not protect Vang from deportation.
Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Lauren Bis called Walz's decision "disgusting." Bis said, "Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal child rapist so he could remain in our country is disgusting. These are the criminal illegal immigrants that he and the sanctuary politicians in Minnesota protect."
