On Wednesday, the Democratic governor of Minnesota issued a pardon for a Laotian immigrant previously convicted of armed robbery, a move that prevented Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) from deporting him.
According to FOX 9, Jai Vang, an undocumented immigrant from Laos, was convicted in 1994 for his involvement in aiding and abetting armed robbery in Hennepin County. At the time of the incident, Vang was just 18 years old.
Having served his prison sentence, Vang was subsequently released back into the United States. However, in January, he was detained by ICE during Operation Metro Surge, an enforcement action in the Minneapolis area, as noted in a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report.
Upon learning of Vang’s arrest and his plea for clemency to prevent deportation in June, Governor Tim Walz took decisive action. He convened a special session of the state’s Board of Pardons’ Clemency Review Commission, ensuring that Vang’s case received a thorough review before deportation proceedings could be finalized.
He was arrested by ICE as part of Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area in January, according to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) release from the time.
When Gov. Tim Walz learned of Vang’s arrest by the federal government, and that Vang had requested clemency to avoid being deported in June, the governor called a special session of the state’s Board of Pardons’ Clemency Review Commission to ensure the case was reviewed before Vang’s deportation. could be completed.
The Clemency Review Commission, which was joined by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and state supreme court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted unanimously to pardon Vang.
The commission reasoned that Vang hadn’t committed further crimes since he was released from prison, had started a family and owns a local painting business.
During the hearing, Walz inaccurately referred to Vang as a “citizen.”
He said Vang has become a “critical member of the community” since his release from prison.
“I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr. Vang is deported to a country he has not been to since he was a child. I do not see how it would serve his family, nor the economic interest where we have a taxpaying citizen who is creating job growth and living a life free from any criminal activity,” Walz said.
Ellison, who joined by phone, noted that he reviewed Vang’s file and agreed with board members’ comments supporting Vang’s petition for clemency.
Walz bitterly fought the federal government during Operation Metro Surge, echoing far-left rhetoric that compared ICE agents to Nazis.
He referred to agents as President Donald Trump’s “modern-day Gestapo,” which drew a sharp rebuke from then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Lyons implored Walz to tone down the rhetoric, saying, “if the governor doesn’t like the laws, he’s free to advocate that Congress change them, but he should refrain from putting ICE officers in danger by likening them to one of the most appalling groups in history.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Walz’s office.
Fox News’ Peter Pinedo contributed to this report.
