Criticism Over Pardon for Convicted Sex Offender

The Secretary of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, has taken aim at Minnesota Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal immigrant who was convicted of sexual assault, describing it as a “horrible” move.

Mullin stated in a post, “This evil foreigner from Laos repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old child. These are criminal illegal aliens that politicians like Tim Walz are protecting American citizens from.”

A press release from the DHS outlined that on June 10, the Minnesota Board of Pardons and Tribunals decided to grant clemency to Thu Lu Van, a Lao native who received a conviction for first-degree criminal sexual assault back in 2006.

According to court documents, Vann allegedly committed these sexual assaults from 2002 to 2004, including an instance where he reportedly attempted to offer the victim $10 to remain silent.

During questioning, he suggested that marrying young girls was a “cultural thing” and even implied the victim should be the one arrested.

The pardon came after Van expressed regret in a letter to the board, which he claimed would allow him to continue living in the U.S. with his wife and six children, as reported by the New York Times.

Van’s clemency application reveals that he was born in a refugee camp in Thailand in 1983 and entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1994.

Over time, he settled in Minnesota, joining its significant Hmong community, many of whom supported the CIA during the conflict in Laos. Vann was approximately 18 when he began abusing the 10-year-old girl, initially attempting to defend his actions upon his arrest in 2005.

DHS spokeswoman Lauren Biss expressed her concerns regarding Walz’s actions, stating that “These are criminal illegal aliens that he and Minnesota’s sanctuary politicians are protecting.”