St. Paul Mayor Admits to Family’s Immigration Status

State Representative Kaoli Van Herr (D), who is set to become the mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, acknowledged earlier this year that her family is living in the U.S. without legal status.

Van Herr has made history, becoming the first woman and the first Asian mayor of St. Paul. She recently defeated incumbent Melvin Carter, who is also affiliated with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Minnesota’s version of the Democratic Party.

In June, Van Herr shared her family’s immigration story on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives, mentioning that they originally came from Laos.

She explained that she learned her family’s status as illegal immigrants was due to her father’s actions, which involved fraud against the immigration system.

“I’ve always been curious about how we ended up in the United States,” Van Herr said. “I thought it was connected to my grandfather being a colonel during the Secret War, but it turns out there’s more to the story.”

She reflected, “I once believed that meant we had a clear path to America. But my mother clarified things; my father maintained it wasn’t true. Both of my parents were involved with Christian organizations, and my father worked at the U.S. Consulate General. He was skilled in English and typing, which was quite rare back then. We managed to leave the refugee camp and live at the consulate with him while he handled refugee paperwork. But we missed opportunities to come to America three times, and had it not been for a last-minute chance, it wouldn’t have happened for us.

When I learned about these missed opportunities, I felt fortunate. Yet, my mother reminded me, ‘We didn’t have luck on our side. Your grandfather worked for the CIA, and our names weren’t on any list for immigration.’ They only accepted those with military ties or connections to USAID, which didn’t include my parents’ organization. One of our uncles had connections through USAID, and my father managed to navigate the paperwork, which is how we ended up in this situation. My family didn’t strategize about which state would offer us the most benefits or aid; that was never our focus.”

Van Herr emphasized, “We were aware that our method of coming here was against the law. We had certain privileges that played into our journey. When you think of immigrants, keep my story in mind. My family broke the law to come to this country. Think of me as you reflect on that.”