The Trump administration has deported Tou Lue Vang, an undocumented immigrant convicted of raping a 10-year-old girl, weeks after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz granted him a pardon. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Vang's removal from the United States on Friday.
"Laotian national Tou Lue Vang was convicted of sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota," Rubio stated. "He was set to be deported until @GovTimWalz issued him a pardon. Then, I revoked his legal status. @ICEgov has removed him from the U.S. and he will never endanger another American."
Governor Walz's decision to pardon Vang on June 10 sparked widespread criticism, with Department of Homeland Security spokesperson Lauren Bis calling the move "disgusting." The pardon was reportedly an attempt to prevent Vang's deportation.
Walz's office stated that the governor had taken into account Vang's assertion that his "culture" permitted sexual contact between adults and children. However, Rubio emphasized that the severity of Vang's crimes warranted his removal.
"He even tried to pay his victim for her silence," Rubio added, "and called those heinous crimes 'minor things.'"
Vang entered the U.S. illegally in 1994 and was granted legal status by the Clinton administration. His legal status was revoked in 2006 following his conviction for repeated sexual assaults against the child between 2002 and 2005. He also attempted to pay the victim $10 to remain silent about the assaults.
Despite receiving a final removal order in 2006, Vang remained in the country until July 2025, when he was targeted for deportation under the Trump administration's "Operation Metro Surge." Vang had applied for the pardon the previous year.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and Governor Walz granted the pardon after receiving a letter from Vang's victim, who pleaded for him to be allowed to stay in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin criticized the pardon, labeling it "horrific" and suggesting that "sanctuary politicians like Tim Walz are protecting" such individuals over American citizens.
