Feds attack Minnesota over victim-backed pardon for man set to be deported
Federal immigration officials are decrying a pardon for a Minnesota man convicted of sexual assault, despite the victim's support for the move.
Tou Lue Vang was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a victim under 13 in 2005, according to court records. He applied for a pardon last year and was granted one last month. The Department of Homeland Security claimed Minnesota's Clemency Review Commission granted him a pardon, though that body told WCCO it does not have the power to pardon. That authority lies instead with the Board of Pardons, which consists of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson of the Minnesota Supreme Court.
WCCO reached out to Walz's office after DHS blamed him for the pardon. In response, his office shared a letter from Vang's victim backing his clemency.
"What happened to me was wrong, but I have had many years to think about this. I have made my peace with it. I forgive him," the victim wrote. "I want his family to stay together here. His children need their father. He and his wife have built a life. I believe that he has learned and grown since the abuse and that the family has suffered enough."
DHS said Vang "was set to be removed from the country imminently after the pardon was announced," but the move "could thwart his removal from the United States."
Republican Lisa Demuth, a candidate for governor, condemned the pardon, saying, "nobody who commits horrific abuses against will be pardoned" if she is elected.
DHS has criticized Walz and Minnesota for multiple previous pardons.
If you know of a child who may have been a victim of exploitation, call the National Center for Missing or Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or visit the website.
Sexual Assault Resources
- (SOS – Ramsey County)
- Sexual Violence Center (SVC – Hennepin County)
- Aurora Center (U of MN)
- 360 Communities (Dakota County)
- Hope Center (Rice County)
- Canvas Health (Washington County)
- Alexandra House (Anoka County)
General Sites for information related to sexual assault and resources throughout Minnesota:
General Sexual Assault Websites:
