Rubio Steps In, Deports Illegal Alien Child Sex Offender Pardoned by Walz-Led Board

Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened to secure the deportation of a convicted child sex offender from Laos after a controversial pardon approved by Minnesota’s Democrat-led Board of Pardons threatened to complicate his removal.

Tou Lue Vang, 42, was removed from the United States after Rubio terminated his legal status, preventing the state clemency decision from becoming another obstacle for federal immigration authorities. The State Department confirmed that Vang had been expelled from the country and would no longer pose a threat to American families.

The Department of Homeland Security celebrated the removal in a post highlighting the administration’s intervention:

Vang was convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl after pleading guilty in 2005. His plea agreement reportedly allowed him to avoid prison, but the conviction cost him his legal immigration status and resulted in a removal order. ([Fox News][3])

He had lived in the United States since 1994 and was ordered removed in 2006 following his conviction. However, he remained in the country for roughly two decades before federal officials finally carried out the order.

Vang later petitioned Minnesota officials for clemency. In his appeal, he expressed regret over his criminal history and the impact it had on his family.

“The shame and regret carry, especially as my children have grown older and learned about my past, run deep. If it were possible to undo what happened, would do so without hesitation.”

The nine-member Minnesota Clemency Review Commission recommended granting the pardon before the Minnesota Board of Pardons approved it on June 10. The board includes Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. ([Fox News][3])

The decision immediately triggered outrage from federal officials, who warned that erasing the conviction could interfere with Vang’s scheduled deportation.

“The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission voted to grant a pardon for Tou Lue Vang, a criminal illegal alien from Laos. Vang had been convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct,” DHS said.

“Vang was set to be removed from the country imminently after the pardon was announced. Now, the pardon could thwart his removal from the United States.”

Acting Assistant DHS Secretary Lauren Bis issued an even sharper condemnation of the Minnesota decision.

“Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting.”

The controversy became another example of the widening divide between the Trump administration’s commitment to enforcing immigration law and Democrat officials who continue using state authority to provide relief to foreign nationals with serious criminal convictions.

A state pardon may erase or reduce certain consequences under state law, but it does not give state politicians the constitutional authority to dictate federal immigration policy. Rubio’s intervention ensured that Minnesota’s clemency decision would not override Washington’s responsibility to protect American citizens and enforce the nation’s borders.

On Friday, July 10, Fox News reporter Peter D’Abrosca confirmed that Vang had been apprehended and deported despite the pardon. Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin provided additional details about the federal action:

“The illegal alien Laotian child rapist who Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz pardoned last month has been deported from the U.S. after Secretary of State Marco Rubio stepped in to facilitate his removal. The alien raped a 10-year-old girl repeatedly, said it was normal in his culture, then blamed the girl and said she should be arrested.”

“He was set to be removed from the U.S. last month before Walz pardoned him, which DHS said was an effort to shield him from deportation by clearing his record of a deportable offense.”

Rubio’s action ultimately prevented the pardon from derailing the removal process. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Vang, and federal authorities deported him from the United States. ([Fox News][3])

The case raises a fundamental question about government’s most basic responsibility: whether elected officials will prioritize the safety of American children and families or extend extraordinary leniency to foreign nationals convicted of serious crimes.

In this instance, federal immigration enforcement prevailed.