The Minnesota Board of Pardons voted unanimously to pardon Xayasounethone Chandee, an immigrant from Laos with prior assault convictions, potentially halting federal deportation proceedings.
The board, which includes Governor Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, held an emergency meeting after learning that the Trump administration could deport Chandee this week. Chandee entered the United States as a minor with a Green Card and later lost his immigration status following convictions, including an assault in 1992 that led to a 1995 deportation order by an immigration judge.
