Tou Lue Vang, an illegal migrant convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl, has been deported from the United States, according to an announcement Friday from Secretary of State Marco Rubio. The removal came weeks after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued Vang a pardon, an action intended to prevent his deportation.
Rubio stated in a video posted to X that Vang, a national of Laos, was shielded from deportation by the governor just before his scheduled removal. Vang had been convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing a child in Minnesota and had reportedly attempted to pay the victim for her silence, which Rubio described as a "minor thing."
Governor Walz's office issued the pardon on June 10, commuting Vang's sentence for the 2005 assault. The governor's office cited a letter from the victim, who pleaded for Vang to be forgiven and allowed to remain in the U.S., as a reason for the pardon.
Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis called the pardon "disgusting." Rubio condemned the governor's actions, stating that Walz's decision drew federal attention to the case, which ultimately facilitated Vang's deportation. "Because of our action this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again," Rubio said. "Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country."
Vang entered the U.S. illegally in 1994 under the Clinton administration and was later granted legal status. His legal status was revoked upon his conviction for raping the child in 2006, and a final removal order was issued that same year. However, he remained in the country until Trump's "Operation Metro Surge" initiative targeted illegal migrants for deportation in July 2025.
Vang applied for his pardon last year. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Walz granted the pardon after reviewing the victim's letter. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin also criticized the pardon, calling it "horrific" and labeling Walz a "sanctuary politician" protecting "evil aliens" over citizens.
It remains unclear if Vang has been sent back to Laos or to another destination. Rubio stated that federal agents took Vang into custody following the revocation of his legal status, leading to his removal from the United States.