Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz issues a pardon for Jai Vang, a person identified in reporting as a native of Laos who is described as living in the U.S. without authorization, after a prior criminal conviction. According to the outlets’ accounts, Vang was convicted in Hennepin County in 1994 of aiding and abetting and armed robbery. Fox News reports that the pardon is issued before Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can complete its deportation process. The New York Post similarly says the pardon is granted to prevent ICE from proceeding with deportation to Laos and identifies the conviction details as reported by FOX 9.
Both sources frame the action as a timing dispute between the governor’s use of executive clemency and the federal deportation process managed by ICE. The reporting does not provide further details in the supplied excerpts about the governor’s stated reasons for the pardon, the status of any related proceedings, or the specific timeline of ICE actions beyond the claim that the pardon comes before the deportation process is completed.
