Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday granted a pardon to Jai Vang, a Laotian national who was previously convicted in an armed robbery case and had recently been taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to reports, Vang was convicted in Hennepin County in 1994 on charges related to aiding and abetting an armed robbery. He was 18 years old at the time of the offense. After serving his prison sentence, Vang remained in the United States for decades. Earlier this year, however, he was arrested by ICE during Operation Metro Surge, a federal immigration enforcement operation conducted in the Minneapolis area, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

After learning that Vang had been taken into federal custody and was facing possible deportation, Gov. Tim Walz (D) moved quickly to intervene. When Vang sought clemency ahead of a scheduled June deportation, Walz convened a special session of Minnesota’s Clemency Review Commission to ensure the case was considered before federal authorities could complete the removal process. The commission – which included Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson – unanimously voted to grant Vang a pardon. In explaining the decision, commission members pointed to Vang’s record since his release from prison, noting that he had not committed any additional crimes, had built a family, and had established a local painting business, Fox noted.

Walz Calls Vang a ‘Critical Member of the Community’

During the hearing, Walz incorrectly referred to Vang as a