Tou Lue Vang was removed from the United States weeks after a state board pardoned his child sexual-abuse conviction.
ST. PAUL, MN — Federal authorities have deported Tou Lue Vang, a Laos-born man whose conviction for sexually abusing a 10-year-old girl was pardoned last month by a Minnesota board that includes Gov. Tim Walz, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Friday.
Rubio announced the removal July 10, saying he had revoked Vang’s immigration status earlier in the week and that federal agents then took him into custody. Rubio said Vang had been removed from the United States, though officials did not immediately release details about the flight, destination or timing of the deportation.
Vang, 42, pleaded guilty in 2005 to first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child. Court and state clemency records cited by Minnesota news organizations show he received a suspended 12-year prison sentence, 30 years of probation and one year in a county workhouse. He completed probation in 2019 and had not been accused publicly of another crime before immigration authorities detained him in December 2025.
The Minnesota Board of Pardons unanimously approved Vang’s pardon on June 10. The three-member board consists of Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. A separate Clemency Review Commission had reviewed the application and recommended that the board grant it.
Ellison’s office said the decision followed an extensive review that included a letter supporting clemency from the victim, who was a child when the abuse occurred, as well as numerous letters from community members. The victim has not been publicly identified. Officials said the board also considered Vang’s expressions of remorse and evidence concerning his conduct in the years after his conviction.
In his clemency application, Vang wrote that he accepted responsibility and deeply regretted his actions, according to reports that reviewed the application. He said he had changed during the two decades since the case and sought to remain with his family in Minnesota. Ramsey County prosecutors opposed the pardon, arguing that the original sentence had already reflected difficulties surrounding the victim’s willingness to participate in the case.
The pardon drew criticism from the Department of Homeland Security, which said the conviction made Vang a threat and accused Minnesota officials of interfering with federal immigration enforcement. State officials rejected the suggestion that the pardon was granted without regard for the offense, pointing to the review process, the commission’s recommendation and the victim’s support.
Vang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand and entered the United States legally as a child in 1994, according to reports based on his clemency records. He later became subject to removal following his criminal conviction. His immigration case remained unresolved for years in part because deportations to Laos have historically been difficult to carry out.
Rubio said the state pardon did not prevent the federal government from acting under immigration law. His announcement marked the latest development in a broader dispute between the Trump administration and Minnesota leaders over immigration enforcement, clemency and the extent of state authority in cases involving people facing deportation.
The federal government had not released Vang’s current location or further documentation of the removal as of Friday. Minnesota officials had not announced plans to challenge the federal action.
Author note: Last updated July 10, 2026.