Miss USA finalists named in pageant taking place in Vegas

The top 10 finalists have been named at the Miss USA contest in Las Vegas.

Contestants from Minnesota, New Jersey, Missouri, Tennessee, California, District of Columbia, South Carolina, New York, Illinois and Alaska will continue on in the beauty pageant.

The winner of Sunday's 2017 Miss USA competition held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center on the Las Vegas Strip will go on to compete in the Miss Universe contest.

The two-hour show featured 51 contestants representing each of the 50 states and the District of Columbia. The Fox network is carrying the broadcast that started at 8 p.m. EDT.

The beauty pageant this year includes five women who immigrated to the US at a young age and now as citizens hope to represent the nation on a global stage. The women from Florida, North Dakota, Hawaii, Connecticut and New Jersey told The Associated Press this week they have faced challenges and opportunities as immigrants.

“As Miss USA, I would love to be able to be that inspiration for our immigrant community,” Linnette De Los Santos, who emigrated with her family from the Dominican Republic when she was 5, told The Associated Press days ahead of the competition. “If I would have stopped following my dreams and working hard towards what I wanted, I wouldn't be sitting here as Miss Florida USA or in law school ready to become an immigration attorney.”