MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz pardoned Jai Vang, a Laos-born resident convicted of armed robbery in 1994, to prevent his deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Vang had been arrested in January 2026 in the Minneapolis area as part of ICE’s Operation Metro Surge and faced removal from the country in June.

Vang was 18 years old when he was convicted in Hennepin County for aiding and abetting and armed robbery. He served a prison term and was released back into the United States. Since his release, he has not committed further crimes, started a family, and owns a local painting business, according to the Minnesota Board of Pardons’ Clemency Review Commission.

Walz called a special session of the Clemency Review Commission to consider Vang’s request ahead of his scheduled deportation. The commission, which includes Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, voted unanimously to grant the pardon.

During the hearing, Walz referred to Vang as a “citizen,” though Vang is not a U.S. citizen and was subject to deportation. Walz said, “I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr. Vang is deported to a country he has not been to since he was a child. I do not see how it would serve his family, nor the economic interest where we have a taxpaying citizen who is creating job growth and living a life free from any criminal activity.”

Ellison, who joined the hearing by phone, stated he reviewed Vang’s file and agreed with the board members’ comments supporting Vang’s petition for clemency. “I reviewed Jai Vang’s file and agreed with board members’ comments supporting Vang’s petition for clemency,” Ellison said.

The pardon effectively blocks ICE from deporting Vang, as Minnesota state law prohibits the deportation of individuals who have received a full and unconditional pardon for their conviction. The decision comes amid increased ICE enforcement actions under Operation Metro Surge, which targeted individuals with prior criminal convictions in the Minneapolis-St. Paul metropolitan area.