Pro-Trump Republican immigrant Whittney Williams is running to challenge first-term U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens, D-Rochester Hills in 2020.

The 36-year-old Canton resident is a first-generation Taiwanese American who came to the country illegally at the age of 10, according to a release shared by Williams’ campaign. She lived in the United States as a non-citizen for 16 years before marrying her husband and gaining citizenship in 2013, an experience which significantly shaped Williams’ love for the U.S., belief in the American dream and conservative values, according to the campaign.

Williams has never run for office but serves as director of diversity for Michigan’s 11th Congressional District Republican Committee. Her campaign touts Williams a unique figure due to her support for President Donald Trump and his plan to build a wall on the southern border with Mexico.

She plans to run a “pro-America, anti-socialist agenda." Williams was not made available for an interview Monday.

“I am running for Congress because I love our country, believe in the American Dream, and want to fight back against the radical left’s socialist agenda,” Williams said. “This country has given me everything, and I hope to have the opportunity to give back by defending the Constitution and our fundamental American values.”

Williams said her family brought her to the U.S. without knowing any English and overstayed their visa, leading her to “live in the shadows as an illegal immigrant." Trump terminated the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in 2017, ending a program that allows people brought to the U.S. illegally as children to remain in the country.

Williams said people in the group affected by DACA, known as Dreamers, are used as “political props." She is a supporter of strong border security, according to a campaign announcement video released Monday.

“Rather than solving obvious problems like immigration, career politicians too often look the other way at everyone else’s expense,” Williams said.

She said becoming a citizen was the proudest day of her life. She later appears in the video wearing a “Make America Great Again” hat.

Stevens earned her seat in Congress during a statewide swing toward Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterm elections. She flipped the 11th House District, formerly held by a Republican who didn't seek reelection, winning by nearly 7 percentage points.

Stevens has presented herself as a pragmatic moderate Democrat willing to weigh the interests of independents and Republicans in her district. She raised $1.3 million for her 2020 campaign as of June 30, and has $1 million to spend on the race.

“I am so grateful for the incredible outpouring of grassroots support we have received so far this year,” Stevens said after the second quarter fundraising period. “When I ran for Congress, I told people in Michigan’s 11th District that I would make transparency and accountability two of my top priorities, and that’s exactly what I’ve done this year by holding 11 town halls and coffee hours across the 11th District."

Stevens pledged to work across the aisle to lower the cost of prescription drugs, invest in crumbling infrastructure and support Michigan’s manufacturing economy.

Scott Hagerstrom, chief strategist for William’s campaign, said Stevens is a “phony moderate." Hagerstrong served as the Michigan state director for Trump’s 2016 campaign.

Williams said she is fighting back against the “radical left” in her campaign video while an image of U.S. Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Detroit; Illhan Omar, D-Minn.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and Ayanna Pressley, D- Mass., flashed on screen.

The National Republican Congressional Committee added the 11th District to its 2020 battleground map. The race is expected to be influenced by Trump’s performance in Michigan, a state he won in 2016.

A veteran of the automotive industry, Williams spent the last several years traveling the country working as an U.S. auto show product specialist. She also enjoys a professional acting and modeling career, and appeared in commercials and advertisements for the Pure Michigan Campaign, Haworth, Bed Bath & Beyond, Jeep, Chevy, Lincoln, Ford, Mopar and Gardner White.

Williams holds a master of science degree in strategic communications with an emphasis in public relations from Purdue University.

She also holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in ballet performance from the University of Utah. Williams also performed with the American Ballet Theater and other dance productions with local ballet companies.

Williams is fluent in Mandarin-Chinese and Taiwanese Hokkien and enjoys boxing and spending time with her husband and their three rescue dogs.

“Democrats are going to have a hard time using their typical playbook against me,” Williams said.