State Department fires back after Walz doubles down on pardon of convicted child rapist
State Department Fires Back After Walz's Controversial Pardon Decision
State Department fires back after Walz - The State Department has launched a sharp response after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz doubled down on his decision to pardon a convicted foreign child rapist before his scheduled deportation. This escalating political confrontation highlights growing tensions between state and federal authorities over immigration enforcement and criminal justice policy. The Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes Governor Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, granted clemency to Tou Lue Vang, a 42-year-old Laotian national, on June 10. Vang was originally set to be deported from the United States before receiving this unexpected pardon.
State Department Condemns Walz's Pardon Move
State Department Assistant Secretary Dylan Johnson delivered a forceful critique of the governor's actions in a statement to Fox News Digital. "Governor Walz's pardon of a convicted foreign sex offender was a grave and unconscionable betrayal of the very people he is supposed to defend," Johnson declared. The official continued, noting that Secretary Rubio had successfully thwarted what he described as Walz's attempt to prioritize open borders over American safety. "Now this foreign criminal will never harm another American," Johnson emphasized, highlighting the State Department's decisive action to revoke Vang's visa and ensure his removal from U.S. soil.
Vang's criminal history includes multiple rapes of a 10-year-old girl committed between 2002 and 2004. Following his arrest, Vang told authorities that his actions were "a cultural thing... to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12." Secretary of State Marco Rubio moved quickly to revoke Vang's visa earlier this month, resulting in the criminal's deportation back to Laos. Despite these developments, Walz defended his clemency decision during a Tuesday press conference, arguing that removing a convicted child rapist from the country did not necessarily make the United States safer for its citizens.
Political Fallout and Immigration Debate
"Did that make us any safer?" Walz questioned during his press conference. "Did that make the children that are left behind any more stable? Did it improve the idea that we can't all be judged by our worst day?" While acknowledging that Vang's crimes were "horrific," the governor maintained that deportation alone did not address broader concerns about community stability and rehabilitation. The State Department quickly criticized Walz for what they viewed as downplaying serious criminal offenses. "Walz sides with foreign criminals. Secretary Rubio sides with the American people," Johnson stated firmly.
The immigration debate intensified as Johnson pointed out that Walz continues to advocate for open borders while the current administration has worked to end what it describes as an era of mass migration. "Walz endangered the American people. Secretary Rubio protected them," the Assistant Secretary asserted. This political clash comes amid broader discussions about how the United States should handle foreign criminals and whether deportation serves as an adequate deterrent for serious offenses committed by non-citizens.
Upon last week's announcement that the State Department had bypassed Walz's pardon and deported Vang regardless, Secretary Rubio publicly criticized the Minnesota governor for granting clemency in the first place. "Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children," Rubio told reporters. He explained that terminating Vang's legal status was necessary to ensure public safety. "Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again," the Secretary of State concluded.
At the time of Vang's pardon, the Department of Homeland Security expressed serious concerns that the decision would protect a criminal illegal alien from deportation. DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis described Walz's choice as "disgusting," noting that the governor was protecting criminal illegal aliens alongside his Minnesota sanctuary politicians. This ongoing dispute between state and federal authorities continues to shape the national conversation about immigration policy, criminal justice, and the balance between compassion and public safety in America's approach to foreign offenders.