Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked the legal status of a Laotian national convicted of child sexual abuse after Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz granted him clemency last month, leading to his deportation from the United States.
Tou Lue Vang, who arrived in the U.S. as a child refugee from Laos in 1994, was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaulting a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2005. He pleaded guilty under a deal that resulted in a stayed 12-year sentence, eight months in county jail, and 30 years of supervised probation, which ended in 2019.
Following his conviction, Vang lost his legal immigration status and faced removal proceedings. An immigration judge issued a final deportation order in 2006.
The Pardon and Its Reversal
On June 10, the Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, unanimously granted Vang clemency that wiped his criminal record. The action came weeks before his scheduled deportation.
Rubio revoked Vang’s legal status this week, placing him in federal custody. “Federal agents took him into custody and as of today, he has been removed from the United States,” Rubio stated in a video posted to X.
“Because of our action, this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again,” Rubio said.
Federal and State Response
The Department of Homeland Security condemned the pardon, with Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis stating that Walz’s decision to clemency an “illegal alien convicted child rapist” undermined federal immigration enforcement.
Minnesota House Republican Floor Leader Harry Niska called the pardon “despicable” and “morally indefensible,” accusing Walz and Ellison of prioritizing criminals over public safety.
State pardons restore certain civil rights under state law but do not automatically erase immigration consequences under federal statute, according to immigration law.
What This Means
Rubio’s action underscores the Trump administration’s authority to override state clemency decisions on immigration matters. The revocation prevented what critics argued was a loophole that allowed a convicted child predator to remain in the country.
