Debate on Medicaid Eligibility Sparks Controversy in Minnesota

During a recent debate concerning Medicaid eligibility, Minnesota lawmaker Kaorie Van openly shared her family’s immigration history, stating that her parents engaged in immigration fraud to come to the United States, asserting her own citizenship.

On Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed a law that excludes illegal immigrants from the state’s Medicaid program, known as Minnesota Care. Van made her statements on the floor, then quickly reached out to local media to clarify her remarks.

“I’m illegal in this country. My parents are illegal in this country,” she stated, noting that nearly all Democrats in the Minnesota House opposed the legislation.

Following the debate, she participated in an interview with Minnesota Reformers, where she contradicted her earlier claims by affirming that she and her parents are, in fact, American citizens.

“Technically, would you say my father broke the law? But we would have come anyway,” she reflected during the interview. She explained that her father was connected to a family friend at the U.S. International Development Agency, which facilitated their family’s migration in order to escape communist threats. Van expressed a desire to engage Republicans in discussions about empathy for immigrants.

“The truth is, as someone who feels alienated, until people see another person’s situation and face, they won’t fully grasp the experience. I’ve felt out of place my entire life, and I wouldn’t want that for anyone else,” she remarked.

The legislation currently moving through Congress includes Medicaid reforms aimed at expanding health insurance for low-income Americans while also seeking to prevent illegal immigrants from accessing the program.