Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has pardoned an illegal immigrant who was convicted of raping a 10-year-old child to stop him being deported.
The Democrat was part of a three-person panel who granted a pardon to Tou Lue Vang, 42, who was set to be deported to Laos due to his convictions for horrific child sex crimes.
Vang admitted to sexually abusing the child and pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct in 2006, and at the time he justified his actions by claiming it is a ‘cultural thing’ to ‘marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.’
His plea deal allowed him to avoid jail time but facing deportation, a fate he has now been spared by Walz and the other two members of the panel, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota’s Chief Supreme Court Justice, Natalie Hudson.
The move quickly sparked backlash, with a spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) branding Walz ‘disgusting’ for granting the pardon.
‘Tou Lue Vang lost his legal status following his conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl,’ said DHS spokeswoman Lauren Bis.
Bis also noted that the pardon removes Vang’s conviction and wipes his slate clean.
Vang’s pardon came after he shared a letter to the board expressing his regret over the sickening sex crimes, and pleading to be allowed to stay in the US with his wife and six children.
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has pardoned an illegal immigrant who was convicted of raping a 10-year-old child to stop him being deported
The Democrat was part of a three-person panel who granted a pardon to Tou Lue Vang, 42, (pictured) who was set to be deported to Laos due to his convictions for horrific child sex crimes
Vue reportedly entered the US illegally in California in 1994, and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration.
That status was revoked when he was convicted in 2006, and he was issued a final order of removal that October.
It is unclear why Vue was never tracked down and deported over the past 20 years, with records showing Vue only applied for his pardon in July 2025.
