Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz stepped into a looming immigration fight this week by helping secure a pardon for a Laotian immigrant convicted decades ago of armed robbery — a move that came just as federal authorities prepared to deport him.
According to Fox News, the case centered on Jai Vang, who was convicted in Hennepin County in 1994 for aiding and abetting armed robbery when he was 18 years old.
After serving his prison sentence, Vang remained in the United States and later built a life in Minnesota.
Earlier this year, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Vang during Operation Metro Surge in the Minneapolis area, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
With deportation proceedings approaching, Vang sought clemency from the state.
Walz then called a special session of Minnesota’s Board of Pardons’ Clemency Review Commission to review the request before federal authorities could remove him from the country.
The commission — which included Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and state Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson — voted unanimously to grant the pardon.
Members of the board pointed to Vang’s record since leaving prison, noting he had not committed additional crimes, had started a family, and operated a local painting business.
During the hearing, Walz described Vang as a productive member of the community and questioned the purpose of deporting him.
“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.
Walz incorrectly referred to Vang as a “citizen” during the proceedings.
Ellison, who joined the hearing remotely, said he reviewed the case and agreed with arguments supporting clemency.
The pardon comes months after Walz publicly criticized federal immigration enforcement tied to Operation Metro Surge.
The governor previously compared ICE agents carrying out deportation operations under President Donald Trump to “modern-day Gestapo,” comments that drew backlash from then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
Lyons responded by urging Walz to lower the rhetoric surrounding immigration officers.
“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,” Lyons said.
