Minnesota Democrat Kaohly Vang Her stunned colleagues by admitting she’s an illegal immigrant during a heated debate over taxpayer-funded healthcare for undocumented residents. Her shocking confession comes as applications for the controversial program have skyrocketed to triple the projected numbers, potentially costing Minnesota taxpayers over $600 million.
Democrat Lawmaker Admits Illegal Status as Costs Soar
State Representative Kaohly Vang Her revealed her family entered the United States illegally after fleeing Vietnam following the war. Her father, who worked at the U.S. Consulate, used his position to falsify documents and process their entry despite not being on official refugee lists, according to Her’s own testimony.
The shocking revelation came during a special legislative session debating modifications to MinnesotaCare eligibility for illegal immigrants. Applications for free state healthcare by undocumented residents have reached 17,400 – more than three times higher than the 5,800 initially projected when Democrats pushed through the controversial program.
Program Costs Explode as Republicans Fight Back
The massive miscalculation means taxpayers could be on the hook for over $600 million, nearly triple the original $220 million four-year estimate. Republican lawmakers are fighting to eliminate the program, with Rep. Isaac Schultz of Elmwood Township calling it “the closest thing that you will ever see to treason, where taxpayer dollars are going to fund people who are here illegally.”
MN Rep. Kaohly Vang Her isn’t undocumented. She shared a childhood immigration error caused by her father after her mother’s death. She’s a U.S. citizen now, fully eligible to serve. The right is twisting her story to spread lies. Don’t fall for it. pic.twitter.com/CSw8YaWItu
— Karly Kingsley (@karlykingsley) June 9, 2025
Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, a Republican from Fergus Falls, warned that the free healthcare creates “an incentive for illegal immigrants to come to Minnesota.” Despite the exploding costs and Republican opposition, Democrats who control the Senate remain determined to continue funding healthcare for illegal immigrants.
Lawmaker Uses Personal Story to Defend Illegal Entry
Her, attempting to garner sympathy during the debate, explained her family entered illegally because they “missed” legitimate opportunities for refugee status. Her father exploited his position processing refugee paperwork to falsely list her grandmother as someone else’s mother, enabling their unauthorized entry into the country.
MN Rep Kaohly Vang Her, admits today of all days, that she is in the country illegally. Why is she able to be a representative??? pic.twitter.com/1VB2XMCLK6
— Nevs (@Nevstv) June 10, 2025
“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 admitted during her floor speech. She defended illegal immigration by claiming, “Nobody leaves their country unless they have to leave that country,” seemingly justifying document fraud as acceptable if someone feels their circumstances warrant it.
The DFL-controlled legislature is unlikely to roll back the controversial program despite its ballooning costs. Senator Zaynab Mohamed, a Minneapolis Democrat, defended the program saying, “These folks contribute to our economy, they contribute to our society, they are taxpayers,” though she failed to address how undocumented immigrants without legal work authorization could be legitimate taxpayers.
Sources:
Minnesota lawmakers debate over healthcare for undocumented residents
Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate