Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced the deportation of Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian immigrant who was pardoned by Minnesota state officials in June for a 2006 conviction of first-degree criminal sexual conduct. Vang was removed from the United States on Friday, according to a video statement by Rubio.
Background of the case
Vang, a legal immigrant from Laos, was convicted in 2006 for raping a young girl between 2002 and 2004. Due to Laos initially refusing to accept deportees, Vang remained in Minnesota for nearly two decades. In December 2025, federal authorities detained him during a nationwide immigration crackdown, but a federal judge ordered his release from ICE custody in February 2026.
In June, the Minnesota Board of Pardons granted Vang a pardon after he expressed remorse and the victim wrote a letter of forgiveness, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune. The victim stated, “I have made my peace… He is not the same person now. I have seen how he has changed.”
Federal response and deportation
Rubio revoked Vang’s legal status this week, leading to his arrest and deportation. In his video statement, Rubio said, “Because of our action, this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again.” The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Vang entered the US in 1994 with legal status, but it was revoked after his conviction, with a final removal order issued in 2006.
The Trump administration used the case to criticize Minnesota Governor Tim Walz and state Democrats for protecting immigrants from deportation. Walz’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
Political reactions
Deputy Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Lauren Bis called the pardon “disgusting.” US House Majority Whip Tom Emmer wrote on X, “I’m angry and disgusted at yet another action by our feckless governor that puts violent illegal aliens ahead of innocent Americans.”
