Walz Defends Pardon of 42-Year-Old Sex Offender After Trump Administration Deports Him to Laos
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
Walz Defends Pardon of 42-Year-Old Sex Offender After Trump Administration Deports Him to Laos
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 16
Summary
Tim Walz said his June 10 vote to pardon Tou Lue Vang was not about immigration and questioned whether deporting him "made us any safer" after the Trump administration removed him to Laos last week.
Vang, 42, had been under a final removal order after losing legal status following a first-degree criminal sexual conduct conviction tied to repeated assaults of a girl beginning when she was 10.
Walz said the crimes were horrific but argued the pardon considered factors including the victim's support, while noting Minnesota's Board of Pardons had denied clemency in other immigration-related cases.
Marco Rubio said he terminated Vang's legal status so he would "never pose a threat to any American ever again," underscoring the clash between Minnesota's pardon decision and federal immigration enforcement.