Latest news with #KaohlyVangHer
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate
A Minnesota State lawmaker told her colleagues on Monday that she is in the U.S. illegally, as is her family, and have been since fleeing Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Rep. Kaohly Vang Her attended a special session of the Minnesota Legislature convened by Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, where lawmakers were debating about modifying MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adult immigrants. While arguments were being made, Her used the opportunity to share the story of how she arrived in the U.S., telling her colleagues that she is an illegal immigrant. Her said she has been spending a lot of time with her father, who brought the family to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War. At one point, she asked her father how he brought the family to the U.S. Colombian Woman Charged With Illegally Voting In 2024 Election Stealing $400,000 In Taxpayer Funded Benefits She previously believed that her family was granted entry into the U.S. because her grandfather was a colonel in the war. But her father told her that was not true. Read On The Fox News App Her father worked for the U.S. Consulate, Her said, and was one of the few there who could speak English and type "really fast." Her said her father had moved to the consulate away from the refugee camp she, her mother and sisters lived at, and his job was to process all the paperwork for the refugees who came to America. Proposed Bill Would Require Law Enforcement In Blue State To Cooperate With Ice: 'A Line Of Communication' While working at the U.S. Consulate, Her's family missed their opportunity to go to the U.S. three times, and there was one more time that they could attempt to go to the U.S. Her told her mother they must have been lucky, but her mom said it was not luck. "We did not have our names on that list to come to the U.S.," Her said, explaining that there was no priority for children of someone who worked for the CIA. "The only people that had names to come to the U.S. were if you were … in the military and you worked for the CIA or worked for USAID." Her's parents worked for a Christian organization, which also did not count. But they were able to find a way by fudging the paperwork, to get to the U.S. 'Shameful': Legal Immigrants Face Uphill Battle Amid Ongoing Border Crisis "What my father did was, one of our uncles worked for USAID, and because his mother had died, my father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother," Her said. "And so, I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country. And when we were fleeing that situation, never one time did my family say, 'Let's look at which state has the greatest welfare and which state has the greatest benefits, because that's the state we're going to go to.'" "Nobody leaves their country unless they have to leave that country," she added. Her told the room of lawmakers she shared the story because she wanted them to think about who they are calling illegal immigrants. Her's family was "smarter" in how they came to the U.S., she said, although they broke the laws to get into the country. "I never knew that," she said. "I just learned that now. So, when you're thinking about voting no on this bill, you're voting no against someone like me who paid more into this country than it has ever given to me, that the blood of my grandfather, who died for democracy, that he never received benefits being in this country, and yet he paid taxes his entire life into it." Her's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter. Still, Her asked her colleagues to give everyone the same opportunity her family had, however they got to the U.S. "They didn't want to leave where they were," she said. "We are not looking to what state is going to give us the best benefits. We're looking to just be alive."Original article source: Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘I'm a citizen,' clarifies Minnesota Democrat after saying she came to the U.S. illegally
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, DFL-St. Paul, speaks on the House floor in 2024. (Photo by Andrew VonBank/Minnesota House Info) Rep. Kaohly Her, DFL-St. Paul, revealed a stunning detail about herself during a debate on the Minnesota House floor Monday: She came to the United States illegally as a child. 'I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country,' Her said on the floor. Her was trying to inspire empathy in her Republican colleagues, who were about to vote to take away state-funded health care for undocumented adults in Minnesota. 'I tell you this story because I want you to think about who it is that you are calling illegal,' Her told House Republicans on the floor. 'My family was just smarter in how we illegally came here. We had more privileges and more ability, which is why we came here in that way.' The fourth-term lawmaker's remarks quickly ignited a firestorm in right-wing media, who are questioning her legal status and her ability to cast a vote in U.S. elections. One of her Republican colleagues, Rep. Walter Hudson, R-Albertville, called for her to be investigated and she's already receiving threats and insults on social media. In an interview with the Reformer, Her clarified that she and her parents are U.S. citizens. Her is a refugee from Laos, and moved to the U.S. when she was three. Her's parents took their U.S. citizenship test, and Her became a citizen as a minor when she was in middle school, she said. Her said her father technically broke the law when he filled out paperwork for the family to come to the U.S. as refugees. He did so to expedite the process to come to the U.S., though they would have come to America anyway. Her came to America along with a wave of Hmong refugees, who were critical allies to the United States in the Vietnam War and the 'secret war' in Laos, assisting in intelligence operations, disrupting north Vietnamese supply routes and combating communism's spread through Southeast Asia. Her's grandfather was a colonel in the war, she said. Her's father worked at the U.S. consulate, and he processed their family's paperwork in a way to expedite their timeline to immigrate to the U.S. as refugees. People who were set to come to the U.S. as refugees could do so quicker if they had family connections to the military, CIA or USAID. Her said her family didn't qualify for those pipelines, but one of her family's friends worked for USAID. When Her's father processed the refugee paperwork, he claimed familial connection to the friend that worked for USAID, which wasn't true. 'Technically, you would say my father broke the law, right? But we would have come anyway,' Her said. Minnesota House Republicans, alongside DFL House caucus leader Melissa Hortman, voted Monday to strip MinnesotaCare from undocumented adults. The Senate later voted to do the same. Her said she wishes she would have been more clear about her citizenship status on the House floor, but she doesn't regret telling her story. 'The truth is until people see a face with somebody and a situation, it is really easy for us to other each other, and as somebody who's been marginalized because of who I am my whole life, I never want to do that to somebody else,' Her said.
Newsweek
7 hours ago
- Politics
- Newsweek
Democratic Lawmaker Admits She Came to the US 'Illegally'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Minnesota State Representative Kaohly Vang Her said on Monday that her family immigrated to the United States following the Vietnam War, and she is residing in the country without legal immigration status. Minnesota Democrat Rep. Kaohly Vang Her: "I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country." — Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) June 9, 2025 This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
Fox News
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Fox News
Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate
A Minnesota State lawmaker told her colleagues on Monday that she is in the U.S. illegally, as is her family, and have been since fleeing Vietnam after the Vietnam War. Rep. Kaohly Vang Her attended a special session of the Minnesota Legislature convened by Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, where lawmakers were debating about modifying MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adult immigrants. While arguments were being made, Her used the opportunity to share the story of how she arrived in the U.S., telling her colleagues that she is an illegal immigrant. Her said she has been spending a lot of time with her father, who brought the family to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War. At one point, she asked her father how he brought the family to the U.S. She previously believed that her family was granted entry into the U.S. because her grandfather was a colonel in the war. But her father told her that was not true. Her father worked for the U.S. Consulate, Her said, and was one of the few there who could speak English and type "really fast." Her said her father had moved to the consulate away from the refugee camp she, her mother and sisters lived at, and his job was to process all the paperwork for the refugees who came to America. While working at the U.S. Consulate, Her's family missed their opportunity to go to the U.S. three times, and there was one more time that they could attempt to go to the U.S. Her told her mother they must have been lucky, but her mom said it was not luck. "We did not have our names on that list to come to the U.S.," Her said, explaining that there was no priority for children of someone who worked for the CIA. "The only people that had names to come to the U.S. were if you were … in the military and you worked for the CIA or worked for USAID." Her's parents worked for a Christian organization, which also did not count. But they were able to find a way by fudging the paperwork, to get to the U.S. "What my father did was, one of our uncles worked for USAID, and because his mother had died, my father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother," Her said. "And so, I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country. And when we were fleeing that situation, never one time did my family say, 'Let's look at which state has the greatest welfare and which state has the greatest benefits, because that's the state we're going to go to.'" "Nobody leaves their country unless they have to leave that country," she added. Her told the room of lawmakers she shared the story because she wanted them to think about who they are calling illegal immigrants. Her's family was "smarter" in how they came to the U.S., she said, although they broke the laws to get into the country. "I never knew that," she said. "I just learned that now. So, when you're thinking about voting no on this bill, you're voting no against someone like me who paid more into this country than it has ever given to me, that the blood of my grandfather, who died for democracy, that he never received benefits being in this country, and yet he paid taxes his entire life into it." Her's office did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter. Still, Her asked her colleagues to give everyone the same opportunity her family had, however they got to the U.S. "They didn't want to leave where they were," she said. "We are not looking to what state is going to give us the best benefits. We're looking to just be alive."
Hindustan Times
8 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Did Kaohly Vang Her commit voter fraud? Minnesota Rep admits she is an illegal immigrant during speech
Minnesota State Representative Kaohly Vang Her (DFL–St Paul) sparked controversy by admitting on the House floor that she and her family entered the US 'illegally' due to her father misrepresenting familial relations on immigration paperwork decades ago. Now, several social media commentators claim that the 51-year-old has committed voter fraud. During a debate on House File 1, which would end MinnesotaCare coverage for undocumented adults, Her said, "I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country." She further revealed that her father listed her grandmother as his mother on immigration forms. She noted she 'just learned' of this, suggesting she was unaware of her status earlier. Her, a naturalized US citizen per some reports, has served as Deputy Speaker Pro Tempore and co-chairs the Commerce, Finance, and Policy Committee. Minnesota law requires state legislators to be US citizens and qualified voters for at least three months. Voter fraud includes actions like voting while ineligible, casting multiple ballots, or submitting fraudulent registrations. Non-citizens voting in federal or state elections is illegal, and they face penalties like deportation or up to seven years in prison. Her's claim of being 'illegal' is ambiguous. Reports state that she is a 'naturalized US citizen', suggesting she may have gained citizenship before her 2018 election. Her statement implies she only recently learned of her family's initial illegal entry, not necessarily her current status. No evidence indicates Her voted or registered to vote while knowingly ineligible. Minnesota requires proof of citizenship for voter registration, and Her's four terms suggest she met these requirements. If the Minnesota Rep is not a US citizen, her eligibility to hold office is questionable under Minnesota's Constitution, which requires citizenship.
