Walz Pardoned a to Stop His Deportation, But Marco Rubio Deported Him Anyway

Walz decided otherwise. The pardon removed Vang’s conviction and, in the governor’s apparent calculation, should have blocked his deportation.

Marco Rubio had a different calculation. The Secretary of State revoked Vang’s legal status entirely — rendering the pardon irrelevant to the deportation question — and ICE took him into custody. As of Thursday, Tou Lue Vang has been removed from the United States and will never be permitted to return.

Rubio’s statement was direct and deserves to be read in full: “Americans must never be forced by their elected leaders to live alongside foreign sex criminals who have no right to begin with to reside in our country.”