Trending Now - Walz Grants Pardon to Immigrant Facing Deportation After Conviction

WHO:

IJR - Tim Walz, Governor of Minnesota

Fox News - Jai Vang, illegal alien from Laos

Fox News - Keith Ellison, Minnesota Attorney General

Fox News - Natalie Hudson, Minnesota Chief Supreme Court Justice

WHAT:

IJR - Tim Walz granted a pardon to Jai Vang, who was facing deportation after a conviction.

Fox News - Jai Vang was convicted of aiding and abetting armed robbery in Hennepin County in 1994.

Fox News - The Clemency Review Commission voted unanimously to pardon Vang.

Fox News - Vang had requested clemency to avoid deportation scheduled for June.

WHERE:

Fox News - The clemency hearing took place in Minnesota.

Fox News - Vang was arrested by ICE in the Minneapolis area.

WHEN:

Fox News - Vang was convicted in 1994 when he was 18 years old.

Fox News - Vang was arrested by ICE as part of Operation Metro Surge in January 2026.

Fox News - The clemency hearing was led by Walz on May 27, 2026.

WHY:

IJR - Walz stated that deporting Vang would not make Minnesota safer or better.

Fox News - The commission reasoned that Vang had not committed further crimes since his release and had started a family and a local business.

HOW:

Fox News - Walz called a special session of the state's Board of Pardons' Clemency Review Commission to review Vang's case before his deportation could be completed.

(UPDATED May 28, 2026 19:54 UTC)

Governor Tim Walz of Minnesota has granted a pardon to Jai Vang, who was facing deportation after being convicted of aiding and abetting armed robbery in Hennepin County back in 1994. The Clemency Review Commission voted unanimously to pardon Vang, who had requested clemency to avoid deportation scheduled for June, and Walz emphasized that deporting him would not enhance safety in Minnesota. Vang, who was arrested by ICE in January 2026 as part of Operation Metro Surge, has not committed further crimes since his release and has since built a family and a local business.