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, 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 repeatedly assaulting a 10-year-old girl between 2002 and 2005. The Minnesota Board of Pardons, which includes Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson, unanimously granted him clemency on June 10, effectively wiping his criminal record.
The Timeline of Events
Vang pleaded guilty in a deal that resulted in a stayed 12-year sentence, eight months in county jail, and 30 years of supervised probation, which was discharged in 2019. Following his conviction, he lost his legal status and was placed in removal proceedings, with an immigration judge issuing a final removal order in 2006.
The pardon was granted just days before Vang was scheduled to be deported, drawing immediate scrutiny from federal officials and state lawmakers.
Federal Response and Deportation
Rubio announced the revocation of Vang’s legal status in a video posted to social media, stating that federal agents took him into custody and he has since been removed from the United States.
