A Minnesota state representative revealed during a special session of state legislature on Monday that she came to the United States illegally, sharing her story as lawmakers were debating modifying MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adult immigrants.
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her said her family came to the U.S. following the Vietnam War and shared her story of how she arrived in the country.
“I always thought that we came here because my grandfather was a colonel in the ‘secret war.’ I thought that meant that we were in line to come to the U.S.,” Her said. “My mother told me, my father told me that was not true.
“Even though my parents both work for a Christian organization and my father actually worked at the U.S. Consulate because he was one of the few people who could speak English and he could type really fast and apparently that was a very valued skill then,” she continued. “They had my father move away from the refugee camp, from my mom and my sisters and I, and he went to live at the Consulate where he processed all of the paperwork for the refugees that came to America.
“We had missed our time to come to the U.S. three times and if we didn’t come that last time, we would not have been able to come to the U.S. And I said, ‘Wow, what luck of ours.’ And my mom said it wasn’t luck.”
Her explained that her mother said they didn’t have their names on that list because it was only for people who were in the direct military, the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) or USAID (United States Agency for International Development).
“Which is why it’s so personal to me that USAID is getting unfunded,” she added.
“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.
“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 states 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.”
Her said that she shared the story because she wanted the room of lawmakers to think about who they are calling illegal immigrants.
“I never knew that. 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 county, and yet he paid taxes his entire life into it.”
After the clip of Her spread on social media, many people online were questioning how she was able to hold office and her ability to cast a vote in U.S. elections.
One of her colleagues, Rep. Walter Hudson, called for Her to be investigated.
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“One of our House Democrat colleagues today shamelessly declared that she is ‘illegal in this country.’ It was dropped so casually that you have to wonder whether she understands what she said,” Hudson wrote. “Regardless, this requires immediate investigation.”
Her clarified her comments in an interview with the Minnesota Reformer, saying that she and her parents are U.S. citizens. She explained that she is a refugee from Laos and moved to the U.S. when she was three years old. She also said her parents took their U.S. citizenship test and Her became a citizen as a minor when she was in middle school.
Her said that although her father “technically broke the law” when he filled out paperwork for the family to come to the U.S. as refugees, he only did so to expedite the process. Her claims that her family “would have come to America anyway.”
Her added that she wishes she had been more clear about her actual citizenship status while she was on the House floor, but she does not regret sharing 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,” she told the outlet. “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 isn’t the only person who has spoken out about their citizenship in the U.S. this week. Derek Guy, also known as Menswear Guy, who shares his men’s fashion tips on X, claimed that he came to the U.S. from Canada as a child and never had any documentation.
“My family escaped Vietnam after the Tet Offensive and went through an arduous journey that eventually landed them in the Canada. My father worked there for a time as a janitor; my mother, a secretary. When work fell through, my dad was offered to work with his sister in the United States, so he went, as our family needed money. He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby,” Guy wrote.
“I’m still unsure whether we technically broke an immigration law. The border between Canada and the United States was pretty porous (as it is today, for the most part). But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I’ve been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.”
Guy said there are millions of people like him living in the U.S. whose parents might have crossed the border without knowing the immigration laws.
“Parents may have crossed the border not knowing about the law, as the law can be pretty confusing and lawyers are expensive. Perhaps, in the end, they should have hired a lawyer; but sometimes life is messy. In the end, they crossed for the same reason many people rise every day: to support their families,” he wrote.
“I think the ICE sweeps are inhumane. I support and admire the protestors who are putting their bodies on the line for non-violent resistance. Ultimately, I think we need to solve this issue on a systemic level. It’s unreasonable to me to expect that the government will deport some 10-20 million people. Even deporting 1 million will cause an insane amount of chaos, not to mention an incredible amount of wasteful government spending. The militarization of law enforcement is over the top and only escalate the situation.”
After the fashion blogger shared his story, many people began to tag U.S. Vice-President JD Vance to let him know that Guy had admitted to being in the country illegally.
Vance responded to an X user who suggested he deport Guy with a meme of actor Jack Nicholson shaking his head “yes.”
Guy responded to Vance, writing, “I think I can outrun you in these clothes.”
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