Tim Walz pardons illegal alien despite HORRIFIC child sex crimes — which may shield him from deportation

The Department of Homeland Security is criticizing Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota after signing off on a pardon of an illegal alien who committed horrific sex crimes against a child.

Laotian immigrant Tou Lue Vang pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl numerous times, but "Governor Walz’s pardon" prevents Vang from being deported, according to the DHS.

The DHS said Vang was scheduled to be deported a week after Walz pardoned him, preventing his removal.

Vang was convicted in 2005 of one count of first-degree criminal sexual conduct and was pardoned more than two decades later under the Walz administration. The Minnesota Board of Pardons is composed of the governor, attorney general, and chief justice, according to KSTP.

"I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing," the pedophile reportedly told police. He also told them that "it's a cultural thing to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12," according to the DHS.

He allegedly offered the victim $10 to stay quiet about the horrific assaults.

Vang was sentenced to 144 months in prison, but he reportedly avoided serving any time by pleading guilty to first-degree criminal sexual conduct. He agreed to 30 years of probation, which he was allowed to complete in 2019. He was pardoned seven years later.

The DHS said Vang was scheduled to be deported a week after Walz pardoned him, which prevented his removal.

"Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” said acting DHS Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis.

"These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting. Tou Lue Vang lost his legal status following his conviction for repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. Following the conviction, he was placed in removal proceedings and issued a final order of removal by a judge. This pardon will take away this child rapist’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the United States."

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Far-left radical Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said in a statement, according to KSTP: "The Minnesota Board of Pardons made a unanimous decision to grant Tou Vang this pardon after an exhaustive process, which included a statement of support for the pardon from the victim, a recommendation to grant the pardon from the Clemency Review Commission, and a large number of community support letters."

The AG's statement added: "DHS is lying through their teeth about this pardon. It does not protect Vang from deportation."

A Blaze News request for comment to Walz' office was not answered, but his office released a statement to WCCO-TV justifying the pardon based on a statement from the victim.

"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."

However, the New York Times, citing an official from the Ramsey County attorney’s office, reported that the lenient plea deal was offered because the victim had been pressured by her family not to cooperate with prosecutors.

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