The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement removed Tou Lue Vang, a Lao citizen previously convicted of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl, after Minnesota Governor Tim Walz issued a pardon.
DHS stated that Vang’s legal status ended following the pardon, leading to his departure from the United States.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the deportation as essential for public safety. He noted that the individual had been released weeks earlier after the pardon and had admitted to serious offenses against the child, including an attempt to pay the victim for silence.
Rubio said he ended Vang’s legal status, ensuring removal so the person would no longer threaten Americans. He also faulted the governor for granting the pardon shortly before scheduled deportation.
Records show Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct for assaults occurring between 2002 and 2004. An immigration judge ordered removal that October. ICE detained him in December 2025, but a court order led to release in February 2026. The Minnesota Clemency Review Commission approved the pardon on June 10, 2026.
An acting DHS official criticized the pardon, stating that authorities had deported a convicted offender and would prioritize public safety over efforts to allow such individuals to stay.
