{"id":12463,"date":"2026-05-29T17:49:49","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=12463"},"modified":"2026-05-29T17:49:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-29T17:49:49","slug":"tim-walz-pardons-illegal-migrant-convicted-of-armed-criminal-act","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=12463","title":{"rendered":"Tim Walz Pardons Illegal Migrant Convicted of Armed Criminal Act"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday granted a pardon to Jai Vang, a Laotian national who was previously convicted in an armed robbery case and had recently been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.<\/p>\n

According to reports, Vang was convicted in Hennepin County in 1994 on charges related to aiding and abetting an armed robbery. He was 18 years old at the time of the offense.<\/p>\n

After serving his prison sentence, Vang remained in the United States for decades.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, however, he was arrested by ICE during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation conducted in the Minneapolis area, according to the Department of Homeland Security.<\/p>\n

After learning that Vang had been taken into federal custody and was facing possible deportation, Gov. Tim Walz (D) moved quickly to intervene.<\/p>\n

When Vang sought clemency ahead of a scheduled June deportation, Walz convened a special session of Minnesota\u2019s Clemency Review Commission to ensure the case was considered before federal authorities could complete the removal process.<\/p>\n

The commission \u2014 which included Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson \u2014 unanimously voted to grant Vang a pardon.<\/p>\n

In explaining the decision, commission members pointed to Vang\u2019s record since his release from prison, noting that he had not committed any additional crimes, had built a family, and had established a local painting business, Fox noted.<\/p>\n

During the hearing, Walz incorrectly referred to Vang as a \u201ccitizen.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said Vang has become a \u201ccritical member of the community\u201d since his release from prison.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Walz said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI 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,\u201d Walz said.<\/p>\n

Ellison, who participated by phone, said he had reviewed Vang\u2019s case file and agreed with the commission members who supported granting clemency.<\/p>\n

The pardon decision comes against the backdrop of Walz\u2019s long-running clashes with federal immigration authorities.<\/p>\n

During Operation Metro Surge, the governor sharply criticized the enforcement effort and drew national attention for comparing ICE agents to President Donald Trump\u2019s \u201cmodern-day Gestapo.\u201d<\/p>\n

The remark sparked immediate backlash from federal officials, including then-Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, who condemned the comparison as inflammatory and offensive.<\/p>\n

Lyons implored Walz to tone down the rhetoric.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf the governor doesn\u2019t like the laws, he\u2019s 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,\u201d he said,\u00a0per Fox<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Walz also mouthed off after FBI agents\u00a0conducted raids<\/a>\u00a0on fraudulent, mostly Somali-owned businesses, in Minneapolis last month.<\/p>\n

After previously criticizing fraud investigations as \u201cwhite supremacy,\u201d Walz reversed course and tried to take credit for \u2018rooting out\u2019 corruption, which drew a rebuke from FBI Director Kash Patel.<\/p>\n

In a thread on X, Walz, who ended a third bid for the governorship after the fraud scandal broke last fall, said he was putting criminals \u201con notice.\u201d He added that the FBI was working alongside state officials.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday\u2019s raids by state and federal law enforcement happened because our state agencies caught irregular behavior and reported it,\u201d he claimed on X.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s how the system is supposed to work, and our agencies will keep at it as long as there are fraudsters around to put behind bars,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

That led Patel to respond: \u201cCome again? This FBI and DOJ with our DHS partners drafted and executed every search warrant today.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut go ahead and take credit for our work while we smoke out the fraud plaguing Minnesota under your governorship,\u201d\u00a0Patel added<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday granted a pardon to Jai Vang, a Laotian national who was previously convicted in an armed robbery case and had recently been taken into … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12464,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nTim Walz Pardons Illegal Migrant Convicted of Armed Criminal Act - Thetwistzone<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/thetwistzone.com\/?p=12463\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Tim Walz Pardons Illegal Migrant Convicted of Armed Criminal Act - Thetwistzone\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Minnesota Gov. 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