A Minnesota state board has unanimously granted a pardon to an illegal immigrant from Laos with a history of violent assault convictions, a decision that could interfere with federal efforts to remove him from the United States. The ruling has drawn attention because it effectively wipes out state-level convictions tied to long-running immigration proceedings.
Xayasounethone Chandee entered the United States as a Legal Permanent Resident when he was a minor. Court records show his first assault conviction came in 1992. A few years later, in 1995, an immigration judge issued a final order of removal against him. He later returned to criminal court again and in 2008 was convicted on two felony counts of aggravated assault involving a weapon.
Those convictions led to the loss of his green card and placed him firmly within federal deportation proceedings.
The Minnesota Board of Pardons’ decision, issued unanimously, now removes the qualifying convictions that had supported his removability under immigration law, potentially complicating enforcement action.
Federal officials reacted sharply to the move, arguing it undermines prior immigration rulings and public safety enforcement. The Department of Homeland Security issued a statement criticizing the decision and its implications.
“The Minnesota Board of Pardons’ unanimous decision pardoning an illegal alien convicted of three violent assaults is absolute INSANITY,” said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. “At Chandee lost his green card following his convictions for aggravated assault with a weapon. Following his criminal convictions, he was placed in removal proceedings and issued a final order of removal by a judge. Minnesota’s sanctuary politicians’ pardon took away this violent thug’s qualifying convictions that made him removable from the U.S.”
The original federal case remains on record, including the 1995 removal order and later criminal findings, though the pardon removes the state convictions from consideration in certain legal contexts.
Officials also emphasized the broader principle behind immigration enforcement decisions. “It is a privilege to be granted a visa or green card to live in the United States of America. When you break our laws, that privilege should be revoked, and you should not be in this country.”
The impact of the pardon on Chandee’s current immigration status remains subject to ongoing federal review.
