The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced Friday that it had moved forward in deporting an illegal immigrant recently pardoned by Minnesota of a conviction for sexually assaulting a young girl two decades ago.
“ICE deported Tou Vang, an illegal alien convicted child rapist,” acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis said in a press release. “This monster repeatedly sexually assaulted a 10-year-old girl.”
None could be reached for comment before publication.
Vang was set for deportation last month, but the Minnesota Board of Pardons accepted his application for clemency on June 10.
“Being granted a pardon is a notable achievement and a reflection of the work you have done since your conviction,” the letter granting Vang clemency said. It added that the pardon “purges” his sex crime conviction from his criminal record and would no longer require him to disclose it “at any time or place” except for a judicial proceeding or during the licensing process for peace officers.
This erased the convictions that made Vang removable from the United States, DHS previously said in a statement. Despite the pardon, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested and deported him.
“A foreign child rapist convicted of heinous crimes is now out of our country after [Secretary of State Marco Rubio] revoked his legal status,” State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott wrote in a post on X. “He will never be allowed to endanger another American.”
Vang was convicted in February 2006 of first-degree criminal sexual conduct against a young girl, starting when she was 10 years old from 2002 to 2004.
DHS said he once attempted to offer the victim $10 to remain quiet and had justified his actions to police when being interviewed, saying “It is a cultural thing ... to marry and have sex with girls as young as 12.”
The man also told authorities the victim was just as guilty as he and should be arrested, according to DHS.
After Vang’s conviction, a judge issued a final order of removal on Oct. 31, 2006, but he spent the next roughly 20 years in custody.
“Tim Walz pardoned this sex criminal in an attempt to allow him to remain in our country,” Bis said. “These are the criminal illegal aliens he and sanctuary politicians are protecting.”
The Minnesota Board of Pardons is given recommendations on clemency applications by a nine-member group called the Clemency Review Commission, which is appointed by the board.
According to the commission’s website, it performs “administrative work” for the board and meets at least four times a year to hear eligible clemency applications. Applicants for pardons are required to appear before the commission, and victims are given an opportunity to speak or submit written statements.
The commission then makes written recommendations to the Board of Pardons about whether to grant or deny applications.
The clemency commission did not respond to a request for comment prior to this publication.
