Twin Cities Auto Boss Pardoned Tuesday, Grabbed By ICE Wednesday

One day, state leaders wiped his criminal slate clean. The next, federal agents put him on a plane to Texas.

Fong Khang, a 46-year-old Twin Cities auto shop owner, was granted a rare reprieve by Minnesota's Board of Pardons on Tuesday, only to be taken into federal custody less than 24 hours later. He is now being held in a Texas detention facility and faces possible deportation to Laos.

Pardon Wipes Out Eight Old Convictions

On Jan. 20 the Minnesota Board of Pardons voted unanimously to set aside eight criminal convictions that had long jeopardized Khang's ability to stay in the United States. As reported by the Star Tribune, Khang told the board he was "deeply ashamed" of his past, while supporters, including Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty and state Sen. Susan Pha, urged clemency based on his post-offense work with youth and his role in the community.

Grabbed On His Way To Work

The celebration did not last long. The next morning, federal agents stopped Khang on his way to work and took him into custody, then put him on a flight to Texas, according to his attorney. Khang's lawyer, Mai Moua, told the Star Tribune that a federal judge briefly blocked the government from transferring him out of Minnesota on Jan. 21, but officials still moved him that night. Moua added that "they can still detain him because he has an order of removal."

Operation Metro Surge And A Wider Crackdown

Khang's arrest is unfolding against the backdrop of an expanded federal enforcement push in the Twin Cities known as Operation Metro Surge. The Department of Homeland Security said the deployment involved roughly 2,000 agents, according to the Associated Press. National coverage and federal statements have put total arrests in Minnesota at more than 3,000, as detailed by The Washington Post.

Attorneys and journalists have also raised alarms about fast out-of-state transfers and the conditions in Texas detention centers. Recent autopsy findings from those facilities have drawn scrutiny and have been reported by national outlets such as PBS.

Shops, Staff, And Family Left In Limbo

Khang is a legal permanent resident who fled Laos with his family as a child and became an LPR in 1983. He owns two auto repair shops, Budget Auto Repair in New Brighton and JWP Automotive in St. Paul, that together employ about 11 people. His pardon application and supporters say he has worked with at-risk youth and become a steady presence in his neighborhood, while his wife and four daughters have been outspoken backers throughout the clemency process.

Now, community members and customers say his sudden transfer to Texas threatens to upend both his family life and the small businesses that depend on his day-to-day presence.

Legal Stakes Of A State Pardon

Khang's legal team argues that the Board of Pardons' decision removes the legal foundation for his removal and has asked courts to order his return to Minnesota while the issue is litigated. But immigration law is rarely that straightforward. Courts and scholars have long noted that a state pardon does not always erase federal immigration consequences, and whether it blocks removal can depend on the particular statutory ground and how immigration prosecutors frame their charges.

Legal analyses breaking down how pardons intersect with deportation law appear in academic writing and appellate rulings. The UCLA Law Review and recent federal court opinions, for example, discuss how pardons interact with removal grounds and Board of Immigration Appeals precedent.

What Comes Next

Khang's attorneys have filed emergency papers asking courts to halt his deportation while judges decide whether the state pardon affects his outstanding removal order. Minnesota officials, including the attorney general, have pushed back on aspects of the federal enforcement surge and brought legal challenges to Operation Metro Surge, highlighting a growing tug-of-war between state clemency and federal immigration enforcement.

For now, Khang's family remains separated across more than 1,000 miles, waiting to see whether the pardon that cleared his record in Minnesota will be enough to keep him in the country.