Federal Intervention in Minnesota Pardon Case
United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced on Friday that the federal government has successfully removed Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct, from the United States. The deportation comes after a high-profile clash between federal immigration authorities and the administration of Minnesota Governor Tim Walz.
Vang, 42, was convicted in 2006 for the repeated sexual assault of a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2004. Following his arrest, Vang reportedly told authorities that his actions were “a cultural thing.” Despite the severity of the conviction, Minnesota’s Board of Pardons—comprising Governor Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson—unanimously granted Vang a pardon on June 10, 2026.
Rubio Revokes Legal Status
The state-level pardon was intended to shield Vang from pending deportation proceedings. However, Secretary of State Rubio intervened, taking the rare step of terminating Vang’s legal status in the U.S. to override the state’s clemency move. “Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” Rubio stated in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Rubio emphasized that the federal action was necessary to protect public safety. “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators—shielded from deportation by their own elected officials—could endanger them or their children. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again,” he added.
Context of the Dispute
Governor Walz had previously defended the pardon, citing a letter of support from the victim, who expressed forgiveness and a desire for Vang to remain with his family. Walz also described Vang as a “taxpaying citizen” and a “critical member of the community,” though critics pointed out that Vang was an immigrant whose legal status was at the center of the deportation fight. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) had expressed strong opposition to the pardon, with Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis calling the decision “disgusting” at the time of the board’s vote.
Vang was taken into custody by federal agents and deported on Friday morning. The incident has drawn significant political scrutiny, with Republican lawmakers in Minnesota praising the federal government’s intervention and questioning the judgment of the state’s pardon board.