Arkansas – Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders praised President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio after the deportation of a Laotian national whose pardon in Minnesota had drawn national attention, arguing the case highlighted what she described as failures in Democratic immigration policies.
In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Sanders criticized political opponents while thanking the Trump administration for removing the man from the United States.
“The Left would rather protect a foreign convicted sex offender than admit their immigration policies are broken,” Sanders wrote. “Grateful to President @realDonaldTrump and @SecRubio for standing up to this craziness.”
Sanders’ comments followed an announcement from Rubio, who said the State Department had revoked the legal status of Tou Lue Vang, a Laotian national who had been pardoned by Minnesota’s Board of Pardons before being taken into federal custody and deported. Rubio said Vang had been convicted of first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a child and that his removal ensured he would no longer pose a threat in the United States, The Guardian reported.
According to reports, Vang pleaded guilty in 2005 to first-degree criminal sexual conduct involving a 10-year-old girl. He received a removal order in 2006 after his conviction, but remained in Minnesota for years because Laos did not initially accept deportees from the United States.
The case returned to the spotlight in June when Minnesota’s Board of Pardons—which includes Gov. Tim Walz, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Chief Justice Natalie Hudson—granted Vang a pardon. The decision came after Vang submitted a request describing his rehabilitation and expressing remorse. Court records cited in news reports also indicate the victim submitted a letter supporting the pardon, saying she had forgiven him, while prosecutors opposed granting clemency.
Republican officials sharply criticized the pardon, arguing it sent the wrong message about violent offenders who are not U.S. citizens. The Department of Homeland Security previously described the decision as “disgusting,” while several GOP lawmakers accused Minnesota leaders of putting public safety at risk.
Rubio announced this week that he had revoked Vang’s legal status, allowing federal authorities to take him into custody and complete his deportation. In a video statement, Rubio said the action meant “this foreign criminal will never pose a threat to any American ever again.”
Supporters of the pardon have argued that clemency recognized Vang’s rehabilitation after nearly two decades and did not prevent federal immigration authorities from pursuing deportation. Legal experts have noted that a state pardon does not automatically eliminate the federal government’s authority to enforce immigration law.
The case has become part of a broader national debate over immigration enforcement, criminal justice, and the role of state pardons. Republicans have cited the deportation as evidence that the Trump administration is taking a tougher approach to removing noncitizens convicted of serious crimes, while critics have argued the case has been used to advance broader political arguments about immigration policy.
Sanders echoed the administration’s position in her social media post, saying the deportation demonstrated the need for stronger immigration enforcement and thanking Trump and Rubio for what she characterized as standing up to policies she believes have failed to protect public safety.