After a heated clash between the federal and state governments, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) successfully deported a Laotian child rapist who had been granted an exemption by the state of Minnesota.
On Friday, July 10, the DHS confirmed that the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) had arrested and deported Tou Lue Vang, an illegal immigrant from Laos. Vang had previously been convicted of multiple counts of sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl but was pardoned by Minnesota Governor Tim Waltz.
Vang entered the United States from California in 1994 and obtained legal status during the Clinton administration.
Between 2002 and 2004, Vang sexually assaulted a young girl who was only 10 years old at the time. He also attempted to silence the victim by offering her 10 dollars in exchange for her silence.
During police questioning, he claimed that his actions were a result of a “cultural difference… marrying and having sexual relations with a 12-year-old girl.” He even argued that the victim was equally guilty and should be arrested as well.
Vang was convicted of first-degree sexual assault in 2006.
Following his conviction, an immigration judge issued a final deportation order for Vang on October 31, 2006.
ICE first arrested and detained Vang in Minnesota on December 10, 2025.
On February 19, 2026, a Minnesota state court judge ordered ICE to release Vang.
On June 10, 2026, the Minnesota Pardon Advisory Board voted to pardon Vang, with approval from Governor Waltz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson.
Fox News reported on Friday that Minnesota’s pardon effectively expunged Vang’s criminal record, preventing his deportation. Subsequently, Secretary of State Marco Rubio intervened to terminate Vang’s legal status in the U.S., ensuring that Governor Waltz’s actions would no longer impede the DHS from deporting Vang.
Upon announcing the pardon for Vang, Waltz stated that Vang had become an “integral member of the community” since his release.
“I fail to see how deporting Vang back to a country he hasn’t been to since childhood would make Minnesota safer or better,” Waltz said. “I don’t understand how this benefits his family or aligns with the economic interests, considering he is a taxpayer, creating job opportunities and living a crime-free life.”
Waltz’s remarks sparked concern and discontent among the American public.
Rubio, in a video posted on social media on Friday, stated, “Vang should have been deported from the start until Governor Waltz pardoned him. I revoked his legal status thereafter. ICE has deported him, and he can no longer pose a threat to other Americans.”
“Americans should not live in fear, worrying that foreign sex offenders shielded by elected officials will endanger them or their children,” the Secretary of State told Fox News. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the U.S.”
Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Lauren Bis stated on Friday, “ICE has deported Vang, an illegal immigrant convicted of child rape. We will always prioritize the safety of the American people.”
Bis referred to Vang as a “demon.”
Following Minnesota’s announcement of Vang’s pardon, Bis expressed concerns about being able to remove Vang from the United States.
Bis said in a statement at the time, “Governor Waltz pardoning an illegal immigrant convicted of child rape, allowing him to stay in our country, is sickening.”