During a Minnesota House session on expanding MinnesotaCare eligibility to undocumented immigrants, State Representative Kaohly Vang Her (DFL–St. Paul) made a deeply personal and surprising revelation: her family entered the U.S. under false pretenses. Her shared that, following the Vietnam War, her family falsified refugee documents to gain resettlement. Initially believing her grandfather’s military service qualified them, she later learned from her father—who worked at the U.S. Consulate—that he had altered paperwork, listing Her’s grandmother as the mother of a relative connected to USAID. This manipulation allowed their family to enter the U.S. as refugees.

Her used the story to challenge the stigma around undocumented immigrants and emphasize the desperation that drives such decisions. She clarified that her family didn’t come to exploit American benefits, but to survive. Calling for empathy, Her highlighted how her family contributed to society through work and taxes despite their undocumented status. “You’re voting no against someone like me,” she told lawmakers opposing the bill, urging them to see beyond labels and recognize the humanity in each migrant’s story. Her testimony offered a powerful reminder of the moral and emotional complexity behind immigration debates.