Victim had forgiven Vang, said he “is not the same person now”

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Friday that the Trump administration had deported Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian man who was pardoned last month by Minnesota officials. In a video statement, Rubio said he revoked Vang’s legal status and that federal agents took him into custody and removed him from the United States.

“Because of our action, this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again,” Rubio said.

Vang, who first entered the United States in 1994 and was granted legal status, faced deportation proceedings after a 2006 conviction for first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a young girl between 2002 and 2004. A final order of removal was issued in 2006, but Laos initially refused to accept deportees, leaving Vang living in Minnesota for nearly two decades.

In December 2025, federal authorities detained Vang during a nationwide immigration crackdown. A federal judge ordered his release from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in February 2026.

The Minnesota Board of Pardons granted Vang a pardon in June after he submitted a letter expressing remorse. The victim also wrote a letter on his behalf, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. In that letter, the victim said she had “made my peace” and forgiven Vang, adding, “He is not the same person now. I have seen how he has changed.”

The Trump administration used the case to criticize Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and other state Democratic officials. Earlier this month, Lauren Bis, the deputy assistant homeland security secretary for media relations, issued a statement calling the decision to pardon Vang “disgusting.”

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, a Minnesota Republican, also condemned the pardon. “I’m angry and disgusted at yet another action by our feckless governor that puts violent illegal aliens ahead of innocent Americans,” Emmer wrote in a post on X.

Walz’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

The Department of Homeland Security said Vang’s legal status was revoked after his conviction. Rubio’s announcement Friday confirmed that Vang had been deported to Laos.