Midwest
Minnesota state representative admits she is in the US illegally during legislative debate

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A Minnesota State lawmaker told her colleagues on Monday that she is in the U.S. illegally, as is her family, and have been since fleeing Vietnam after the Vietnam War.
Rep. Kaohly Vang Her attended a special session of the Minnesota Legislature convened by Gov. Tim Walz on Monday, where lawmakers were debating about modifying MinnesotaCare eligibility for undocumented adult immigrants.
While arguments were being made, Her used the opportunity to share the story of how she arrived in the U.S., telling her colleagues that she is an illegal immigrant.
Her said she has been spending a lot of time with her father, who brought the family to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War. At one point, she asked her father how he brought the family to the U.S.
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Minnesota State Rep. Kaohly Vang Her told lawmakers during a special session Monday she is in the U.S. illegally and has been since her family fled Vietnam after the war. (Minnesota House Live Video)
She previously believed that her family was granted entry into the U.S. because her grandfather was a colonel in the war. But her father told her that was not true.
Her father worked for the U.S. Consulate, Her said, and was one of the few there who could speak English and type “really fast.”
Her said her father had moved to the consulate away from the refugee camp she, her mother and sisters lived at, and his job was to process all the paperwork for the refugees who came to America.
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The sun shines on the Minnesota State Capitol in St. Paul. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski)
While working at the U.S. Consulate, Her’s family missed their opportunity to go to the U.S. three times, and there was one more time that they could attempt to go to the U.S.
Her told her mother they must have been lucky, but her mom said it was not luck.
“We did not have our names on that list to come to the U.S.,” Her said, explaining that there was no priority for children of someone who worked for the CIA. “The only people that had names to come to the U.S. were if you were … in the military and you worked for the CIA or worked for USAID.”
Her’s parents worked for a Christian organization, which also did not count. But they were able to find a way by fudging the paperwork, to get to the U.S.
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz convened a special session on Monday for lawmakers to consider allowing undocumented workers to have access to MinnesotaCare. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
“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 said. “And so, I am illegal in this country. My parents are illegal here in this country. And when we were fleeing that situation, never one time did my family say, ‘Let’s look at which state has the greatest welfare and which state has the greatest benefits, because that’s the state we’re going to go to.’”
“Nobody leaves their country unless they have to leave that country,” she added.
Her told the room of lawmakers she shared the story because she wanted them to think about who they are calling illegal immigrants.
Her’s family was “smarter” in how they came to the U.S., she said, although they broke the laws to get into the country.
“I never knew that,” she said. “I just learned that now. So, when you’re thinking about voting no on this bill, you’re voting no against someone like me who paid more into this country than it has ever given to me, that the blood of my grandfather, who died for democracy, that he never received benefits being in this country, and yet he paid taxes his entire life into it.”
Her’s office did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the matter.
Still, Her asked her colleagues to give everyone the same opportunity her family had, however they got to the U.S.
“They didn’t want to leave where they were,” she said. “We are not looking to what state is going to give us the best benefits. We’re looking to just be alive.”
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Detroit, MI
Man arrested after flight from Iowa to Detroit diverted during passenger disturbance

(Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance via Getty Images)
DETROIT (FOX 2) – A flight from Iowa to Detroit had an unplanned landing after a passenger disturbance while in the air.
What they’re saying:
Police from Cedar Rapids, Iowa said at 6:13 p.m., they were called to the Eastern Iowa Airport following an in-air disturbance by a male passenger on a SkyWest flight from Omaha to Detroit.
The flight was then diverted to Cedar Rapids where officers met up with the flight and arrested the accused man.
Police say the passenger has been identified as 23-year-old Mario Nikprelaj from Nebraska and he was taken to the Linn County Correctional Center.
Dig deeper:
Nikprelaj has been charged with:
- Disorderly Conduct
- Assault
- Possession of Prescription Medication
- Tax Stamp
- Harassment 1st Degree
Police say more charges are possible as an investigation is ongoing.
Milwaukee, WI
Milwaukee shooting, 31st and Cameron; 1 injured, arrest made

Milwaukee Police Department (MPD)
MILWAUKEE – A man was injured in a shooting in Milwaukee on Thursday, July 17.
What we know:
The Milwaukee Police Department said it happened around 4:45 p.m. near 31st and Cameron. The victim, a 24-year-old, sustained a non-fatal gunshot wound to his left shoulder.
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The investigation is ongoing.
Police have a 23-year-old suspect in custody and at this time are not seeking any other suspects.
What you can do:
Anyone with any information is asked to contact the MPD at 414-935-7360 or to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at 414-224-TIPS or use the P3 Tips app.
The Source: The Milwaukee Police Department
Minneapolis, MN
Men facing federal drug charges after authorities seize nearly 900 pounds of meth in Minneapolis

Two men have been federally indicted in what officials are calling “one of the largest” drug busts in Minnesota history.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson announced Thursday that Joel Casas-Santiago, 46, and Guillermo Mercado-Chaparro, 44, have both been charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine. Mercado-Chaparro is also charged with illegal reentry by a removed alien.
The two men were arrested and charged after authorities seized nearly 900 pounds of meth from two vehicles earlier this month, charges say. Authorities initially reported 960 pounds of meth had been recovered.
“A 900-pound haul like this doesn’t just show intent to distribute. It shows intent to poison entire communities,” Thompson said. “We will not let Minnesota become a distribution hub for cartel-scale operations. This prosecution is just the beginning.”
Court documents say an undercover police officer bought a pound of meth from Mercado-Chaparro. Through surveillance after the purchase, police learned he was traveling around south Minneapolis to conduct several suspected drug deals.
St. Paul Police Department
Several days later, charges say police observed Mercado-Chaparro receive two large bags from his truck’s bed and place them in a nearby Jeep.
Authorities eventually stopped the Jeep with Casas-Santiago and Mercado-Chaparro inside. A drug-sniffing dog alerted officers to the odor of drugs. During a search of the Jeep, police found more than 250 pounds of meth, according to charging documents.
Police then obtained a search warrant for Mercado-Chaparro’s truck, where they seized more than 630 pounds of meth from the bed, court documents say.
FBI Director Dan Bongino said on social media that the arrests and seizure were part of “a hit targeting drug trafficking rings you’ll hear about soon.”
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office also charged the men with first-degree drug sales.
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