Records Show Tim Walz Pardon Board Cited Immigration Concerns Before Convicted Child Abuser Was Deported

Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show that members of the Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended a full pardon for Laotian national Tue Lue Vang largely because of concerns that he faced deportation, despite his conviction for repeatedly sexually abusing a child over several years, as reported by Fox News.

The commission voted 4-2 to recommend clemency for Vang, a 42-year-old illegal immigrant who had been convicted of criminal sexual conduct.

According to the documents, commissioners supporting the recommendation repeatedly referenced the immigration consequences Vang faced if he was not granted a pardon.

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The recommendation was later approved by the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which consists of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.

The board granted Vang a full pardon on June 10, effectively clearing his criminal record as he was facing removal proceedings.

Commissioner Zach Lindstrom acknowledged the difficulty of the case while explaining his support for the recommendation.

“Very tough case, but the kids not having a father is not in the best interest of society,” Lindstrom wrote, referring to Vang’s six children.

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Commissioner Artika Roller also cited immigration issues in supporting clemency, writing, “The applicant stated the need for clemency related to immigration issues.”

Vang entered the United States through California in 1994 and later received legal status during the Clinton administration. Court records show that between 2002 and 2004, when Vang was between 18 and 20 years old, he repeatedly had sexual intercourse with a girl beginning when she was 10 years old. The abuse occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota, in Ramsey County.

Fox News Digital reported that documents from the case stated the victim “did not understand what Vang was doing, so she let him.”

As time passed, she confided in friends, who later testified she was “angry and sad” about what had happened. The records also state that Vang once offered the victim $10 to remain silent.

Ramsey County Assistant Attorney Tami McConkey formally opposed the pardon.

While Ramsey County District Court Judge Sara Grewing did not take a position on the request, McConkey argued against granting clemency.

According to her filing, prosecutors had originally offered Vang a dispositional departure because the then-12-year-old victim faced pressure from family members not to cooperate with law enforcement following his arrest.

Vang ultimately received a 12-year prison sentence, but the sentence was stayed in favor of 30 years of supervised probation that included one year of local confinement.

He served approximately eight months at the county correctional workhouse before being released and was discharged from probation early in 2019.

McConkey also cited additional aggravating factors, including that the abuse continued over an extended period, that Vang transported the victim to his residence during one incident, and that no protection was used.

According to a criminal complaint reviewed by Fox News Digital, Vang told investigators after his arrest:

“I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.”

The complaint also states, “Vang stated [the victim] should be arrested also because she was as much at fault.”

McConkey further wrote:

“while Mr. Vang expresses shame and regret about what his children experience when they learn of the offense, he does not share any thoughts or insight about what the victim must have gone through.”

Several commissioners nevertheless cited the victim’s support for clemency as part of their recommendations.

Commissioner Nadine Graves wrote:

“The victim supports this pardon. His [Vang’s] wife stayed and has forgiven. He also has immigration concerns. He has remorse and was discharged from probation.”

Graves also wrote that Vang “retracted his prior statement about this being a result of culture. He admits this was wrong then and will always be wrong.”

Lindstrom likewise noted, “applicant’s wife supports” and “victim supports” a pardon.

Commissioner Perry Moriearty wrote:

“Despite the extraordinary severity of the underlying offense, there is substantial evidence of rehabilitation, remorse, and acceptance of responsibility.”

He also noted that Vang “is facing deportation” and “victim supports.”

In his clemency application, Vang wrote, “I carry deep shame and regret for the harm I caused.”

He explained that he had been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in December and was subject to a final removal order.

He also wrote that if deported, he “would be sent to a place entirely unfamiliar to me, with no family, no home, and no future.”

Vang added, “My fear is that, if deported, my children will grow up without a father, like I did,” and “I will do all that I can to be here and to protect them from the outcomes of my deportation.”

Following the pardon, Homeland Security Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis criticized the decision.

“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” Bis said.

“These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”

Despite the pardon, the Trump administration proceeded with Vang’s removal. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that he terminated Vang’s legal status, resulting in his deportation to Laos.

Rubio told Fox News Digital, “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children.”

“That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States,” Rubio continued. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”

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