Secretary of State Marco Rubio says a convicted child rapist whom Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz helped shield from deportation is now out of the United States for good.
The case is quickly becoming one of the most politically damaging immigration controversies facing Walz, who is already under scrutiny for Minnesota’s sanctuary-state policies and a series of clemency decisions involving criminal illegal aliens.
At the center of the firestorm is Tue Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a 10-year-old girl. Federal officials say Vang was scheduled for deportation when Walz and Minnesota’s Board of Pardons intervened and granted him clemency last month.
That pardon immediately raised alarms inside the Department of Homeland Security, which warned that the move could complicate federal efforts to remove him from the country.
According to Rubio, the Trump administration found another way.
“Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz,” Rubio told Fox News Digital.
Rubio didn’t mince words.
“Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota. He attempted to pay his victim for her silence and dismissed his acts of child abuse as a ‘minor thing.'”
Statement from @SecRubio:
Just weeks ago, a foreign child rapist was freed to once again endanger America’s children after receiving a pardon from @GovTimWalz.
Tue Lue Vang admitted to committing heinous crimes against a 10-year-old girl in Minnesota.
He attempted to pay his…
— Department of State (@StateDept) July 10, 2026
Federal records show Vang was convicted in 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct after authorities determined he repeatedly raped the child between 2002 and 2004. According to court records cited by federal officials, Vang told investigators after his arrest that “it is a cultural thing… to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.” The pardon granted by Minnesota’s Board of Pardons came despite those facts.
The board consists of Walz, Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. The three approved the recommendation after it was forwarded by the state’s Clemency Review Commission.
In a letter notifying Vang of the decision, commission members reportedly wrote: “Being granted a pardon is a notable achievement and a reflection of the work you have done since your conviction.”
That language immediately became political ammunition for critics who questioned how a convicted child rapist could be viewed as deserving such praise.
DHS officials reacted furiously when the pardon was announced. “Governor Tim Walz’s decision to pardon an illegal alien convicted child rapist so he can remain in our country is disgusting,” DHS Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and his Minnesota sanctuary politicians are protecting.”
But Rubio says the administration refused to let the matter end there. “Americans should never have to live in fear that foreign sex predators — shielded from deportation by their own elected officials — could endanger them or their children,” Rubio said. “That’s why I terminated his legal status in the United States.” The secretary then delivered the line likely to become a centerpiece of Republican attacks against Walz heading into future elections. “Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”
The controversy has also reopened scrutiny of Walz’s broader clemency record. Just weeks before the Vang pardon, Walz’s board approved clemency for another Laotian illegal immigrant who had been convicted of armed robbery before facing deportation proceedings. Critics argue the pattern raises serious questions about the governor’s priorities, particularly as Democrats continue defending sanctuary policies and opposing large-scale deportation efforts.
Walz has defended the Vang decision by arguing the man had become a productive member of society since his conviction. “I can find no reason how Minnesota will be safer or better if Mr. Vang is deported to a country he has not been to since he was a child,” Walz said. The governor also described Vang as a “taxpaying citizen” who had contributed to economic growth, despite the fact that federal officials say he was not a U.S. citizen and remained subject to removal.
Let’s review the scorecard.
A convicted child rapist is scheduled for deportation.
The state of Minnesota says, “Wait. Let’s give him a second chance.”
The Trump administration says, “Wait. Let’s give him a plane ticket.”
You can decide which one sounds more reasonable.
Nobody forced Tim Walz into this fight.
Nobody demanded he spend political capital helping a convicted child rapist avoid deportation. This wasn’t some accidental paperwork error. A board reviewed the case. A recommendation was made. A pardon was granted. Public officials signed off on it.
The truly astonishing part is that somewhere in Minnesota government, adults sat around a conference table and concluded that deporting a man convicted of repeatedly raping a 10-year-old girl would somehow make society worse.
Democrats constantly complain that Republicans are unfair when discussing immigration. Stories like this are why those complaints never gain traction.
Because the average American hears “illegal immigrant child rapist facing deportation” and instinctively reaches one conclusion. The correct answer is not “pardon.” It’s “bon voyage.”
