A convicted child rapist who received clemency from Minnesota’s pardon process has now been deported from the United States after Secretary of State Marco Rubio revoked his legal status, reigniting fierce debate over crime, immigration, and the priorities of progressive criminal justice policies.
The case centers on Tue Lue Vang, a Laotian national convicted of repeatedly sexually abusing a young girl beginning when she was just 10 years old.
Documents reviewed by Fox News Digital show that members of Minnesota’s Clemency Review Commission repeatedly cited concerns about deportation and family separation while recommending that Vang receive a pardon.
Those recommendations ultimately went to Minnesota’s Board of Pardons, made up of Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Natalie Hudson. The board approved clemency in June.
The newly disclosed records are drawing national attention because several commissioners acknowledged the seriousness of the crimes while still arguing that immigration consequences weighed heavily in favor of relief.
One commissioner wrote, “The applicant stated the need for clemency related to immigration issues.”
Another commissioner, Zach Linstrom, described the case as a “very tough case” but concluded that “the kids not having a father is not in the best interest of society.”
According to court records, Vang admitted to repeatedly having sexual intercourse with a child over a multi-year period. Prosecutors stated the abuse occurred multiple times beginning when the victim was in fourth grade.
Investigative records cited by Fox indicate the victim initially “did not understand what Vang was doing, so she let him.” Friends later testified she became “angry and sad” and eventually disclosed the abuse.
Court documents also reveal troubling statements allegedly made by Vang after his arrest.
According to the criminal complaint, Vang told investigators, “I made a mistake, but this is a minor thing. It is a cultural thing in Thailand to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.”
The complaint further states that Vang argued the victim was “as much at fault.”
Ramsey County Assistant Attorney Tami McConkey formally opposed the pardon request.
In her opposition filing, McConkey argued that Vang had shown limited insight into the impact of his crimes on the victim.
“While Mr. Vang expresses shame and regret about what his children experience when they learn of the offense, he does not share any thoughts or insight about what the victim must have gone through,” she wrote.
Supporters of the pardon pointed to evidence of rehabilitation, family support, and reports that the victim supported the clemency application.
Commissioner Perry Moriearty wrote that despite “the extraordinary severity of the underlying offense,” there was “substantial evidence of rehabilitation, remorse and acceptance of responsibility.”
In his own application, Vang argued that deportation would leave him isolated in a country he barely knew.
“I would be sent to a place entirely unfamiliar to me, with no family, no home, and no future,” he wrote.
The Trump administration was unmoved.
After reviewing the case, Rubio announced that Vang’s legal status had been terminated and that he had been removed to Laos.
“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. Vang has now been removed from our country and will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”
Fox News: Exposed docs reveal why Tim Walz board awarded repeat child rapist pardon: ‘No future’
