Minnesota Governor Tim Walz pardoned a man convicted of sexually abusing a child to prevent his deportation, but Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked his legal status and had him removed from the United States.
Tou Lue Vang arrived in the United States as a child from Laos and pleaded guilty to criminal sexual conduct involving the repeated abuse of a girl beginning when she was 10 years old. He remained in the country on supervised release for two decades despite facing deportation.
When the Trump administration secured cooperation from Laos on deportations in 2024, Vang was detained in December. The Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes the governor, granted him a full pardon in June.
The Pardon Decision
The pardon was based partly on a letter from Vang’s victim expressing forgiveness, according to officials. Walz’s administration argued the pardon should have blocked Vang’s deportation under state law.
The conviction was removed from Minnesota’s records following the pardon. However, the action did not grant Vang citizenship or override federal immigration authority.
Federal Override
Rubio, as Secretary of State, revoked Vang’s legal status entirely, rendering the state pardon irrelevant to the deportation case. Immigration and Customs Enforcement then took Vang into custody.
As of Thursday, Vang has been removed from the United States. Federal law prohibits his return, according to immigration officials.
“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,” Rubio said in a statement regarding the deportation.
Legal Authority Questions
The case highlights the distinction between state pardon authority and federal immigration powers. A pardon removes a conviction from state records but does not confer immigration rights or citizenship.
Non-citizens convicted of certain crimes, including sexual abuse of minors, face mandatory deportation under federal law if they lack legal status to remain in the country.