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An illegal alien who admitted to sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl but blamed "cultural norms in Thailand" was granted a pardon by the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison. Tou Lue Vang was detained by ICE in December 2025 during Operation Metro Surge. In 2005, Tou Lue Vang pleaded guilty to repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl when he was around 18 years old. He admitted to the sexual contact during the investigation but described it as a "minor thing," referenced cultural differences/norms, and said the child should be arrested and was also at fault. Vang was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, a serious felony in Minnesota involving sexual penetration or contact with a child under 13. The court sentenced him to 30 years of supervised probation with no prison time — an outcome widely viewed as unusually lenient. Although Vang had been living under probation since his conviction, the sex offense made him deportable under federal immigration law. A removal order was issued in 2006. Yet, he remained in the United States for years until ICE detained him in December 2025 as part of Operation Metro Surge; he faced imminent deportation to Laos. The pardon issued by the Board of Pardons effectively wipes his state criminal record clean, removing a basis for the federal deportation proceedings tied directly to the sex offense conviction. The three-member Board of Pardons consisted of Governor Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. The Department of Homeland Security strongly condemned the pardon with an official statement, with Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis declaring: "Governor Tim Walz's decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting. These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting."