Hamed Aleaziz, Ernesto Londoño and Amy Qin:
A three-person Minnesota panel including Gov. Tim Walz granted a pardon to an immigrant convicted of sexually abusing a child, drawing accusations that he and other Democrats are impeding federal efforts to expel dangerous foreign criminals eligible for deportation.
The Minnesota Board of Pardons granted the reprieve on June 10 to Tou Lue Vang, 42, who came to the United States as a child and was set to be deported to Laos imminently. Mr. Vang had submitted a letter to the board expressing regret for the actions that led to his 2005 conviction, and said a pardon could help him stay in the country with his wife and six children.
Mr. Vang’s victim, who was 10 when the abuse began, also submitted a letter supporting the pardon. Mr. Vang pleaded guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct in a plea deal that spared him from serving time in prison.
The pardon effectively wiped clean Mr. Vang’s criminal record, providing him an avenue to fight deportation.
Trump administration officials criticized the pardon, denouncing Mr. Walz and other Democratic leaders in the state. The other two members of the pardon board are Attorney General Keith Ellison and the state’s chief Supreme Court justice, Natalie Hudson.
“These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting,” Lauren Bis, a spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees immigration enforcement, said of Mr. Walz in a statement.
“Tou Lue Vang lost his legal status following his conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl,” Ms. Bis said, confirming that the pardon would remove the criminal sexual conduct conviction underlying Mr. Vang’s removal order.
In response to a request for comment, Mr. Walz’s office pointed to the letter the victim provided the board, and said such pleas for clemency carry significant weight. Mr. Walz was the Democratic vice-presidential nominee in 2024 and has been a frequent target of the Trump White House, especially over immigration.
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Child rape is not a private, civil matter to be settled like the outcome of a car crash. It’s a serious felony criminal offense against public order. All citizens have an interest in such acts being punished. Despite Mr. Vang’s twisted logic, child victims cannot consent to, or be complicit in, their own abuse.