Minnesota Rep. Who Claimed to Be an Illegal Alien Is Backtracking Her Comments

On Monday, Townhall covered how a state representative in Minnesota announced on the House floor that she is living in the United States illegally.

"I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country," State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her, a Democrat, said.

🚨WTF: Democrat State Representative in Minnesota just admitted that heir family LIED on documents — Thus making her and her family illegal aliens!

“I am illegal in this country.” pic.twitter.com/EPpsP31mh9
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 9, 2025

Her previously shared that she was born in Laos and came to the United States as a refugee when she was a child.

Predictably, Her’s remarks sent shockwaves on the internet, with many people calling on US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to investigate Her.

Shortly after these remarks, Her gave an interview to the Minnesota Reformer, where she clarified her immigration status (via the Minnesota Reformer):

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 during 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. As American allies, they faced violent recriminations from the communists after the war, which is why the U.S. welcomed them here, especially through laws like the Refugee Act of 1980.