St. Paul, MN—House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska, R-Ramsey, issued the following statement today after the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, pardoned Tou Lue Vang, who was convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. Vang had been ordered deported by an immigration judge in 2006 and was reportedly facing imminent deportation.
“Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison owe Minnesotans an explanation for why they thought it was acceptable to pardon a man convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl.
“This is not justice. This is not compassion. This is Walz, Ellison, and Minnesota Democrats once again putting criminals ahead of public safety, and in this case, using a pardon to help shield a convicted child rapist from deportation.
“Minnesotans should be outraged. Governor Walz and Attorney General Ellison’s first responsibility is to protect the people they serve, not to make a political statement, not to thumb their noses at lawful federal immigration enforcement, and certainly not to pardon someone convicted of such a horrific crime. This decision is despicable, morally indefensible, and every Minnesotan deserves to know why they did this.”
