Tim Walz Board Pardons Illegal Immigrant Facing ICE Deportation

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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joined Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson in an emergency Board of Pardons meeting that resulted in clemency for At “Ricky” Chandee, a Laos-born man who had been facing deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The case immediately became a flashpoint because federal officials said Chandee’s criminal record was central to his removability from the United States.

According to local reporting, Chandee was detained after an ICE enforcement operation and was scheduled for deportation before the board’s next regular meeting. Walz’s office argued the emergency meeting was necessary because the timing of the federal removal created an urgent clemency question. The pardon was granted unanimously, and state officials said the move could remove the legal basis for the deportation effort.

Details & Background

Chandee was described by Minnesota outlets as a refugee from Laos who had lived in the United States for decades. Reports said he had worked for many years in engineering for the City of Minneapolis and had a son serving in the United States Air Force. Supporters framed the case around rehabilitation, family ties, and the age of the underlying criminal conviction.

The Department of Homeland Security told a very different story. DHS said Chandee was an illegal alien from Laos and that his convictions for assault made him removable from the country. A DHS statement blasted the Minnesota Board of Pardons’ decision, saying the pardon removed the qualifying convictions that federal officials had relied on in deportation proceedings.

Reactions

Walz defended the pardon by arguing that federal authorities were not targeting the most dangerous offenders. He said, “The federal government says they’re targeting the ‘worst of the worst,’ but instead they’re tearing a father and public servant away from his family over a mistake from more than 30 years ago.” Walz also called the deportation effort “not about public safety” and described it as “a campaign of retribution.”

DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis issued a sharp response, saying, “The Minnesota Board of Pardons’ unanimous decision pardoning an illegal alien convicted of three violent assaults is absolute INSANITY.” DHS also said Chandee had lost his green card after convictions involving aggravated assault with a weapon and had later been placed in removal proceedings.

Why This Matters to You

For many Americans, this story is about more than one pardon. It raises a direct question about whether state officials should use clemency powers in ways that interfere with federal immigration enforcement, especially when the person involved has a criminal record that federal authorities say triggered removability. When governors, attorneys general, and courts step into cases hours before deportation, the public deserves transparency about who is being protected and why.

The government should be responding with clarity, consistency, and respect for the rule of law. Federal officials have a responsibility to enforce immigration orders, while state leaders have a duty to protect public safety and explain the standards behind extraordinary clemency decisions. When those duties collide, the stakes are felt by families, law enforcement officers, and communities that expect immigration law to mean what it says.