Marco Rubio said he terminated Tue Lue Vang’s U.S. legal status and removed him to Laos, overriding the protection Vang had sought after a Minnesota pardon.
June 10 clemency from Gov. Tim Walz’s pardon board had wiped Vang’s record even as he faced a final removal order, with commissioners citing immigration concerns and his six children.
Vang, 42, was convicted of repeatedly raping a girl starting when she was 10; he received a stayed 12-year sentence, served eight months locally and was discharged from probation in 2019.
State prosecutors opposed clemency, citing the offense’s severity and aggravating factors, while Rubio said foreign sex predators should not be shielded from deportation by elected officials.