On the Defining of an 'American', Alumnus Jose Antonio Vargas Style

THE ADVOCATE MESSENGER (DANVILLE, KENTUCKY) -- In 2011, journalist Jose Antonio Vargas wrote an essay for The New York Times magazine where he revealed himself as an “undocumented immigrant.” Born in the Philippines, he came to the U.S. at age 12, and he claims to have discovered his illegal status when at age 16 he tried to get a driver’s license in California. With a fake green card, a fake Filipino passport and a fake driver’s license, he was able to avoid deportation, and with the help of some of his high school teachers (he dubbed his personal “underground railroad”), he obtained a scholarship and in 2004 graduated from San Francisco State. One has to wonder why Vargas did not attempt to become a naturalized citizen. Perhaps it would damage his “street creds” with the more than 12 million illegal immigrants living in the United States if the spokesman for the “undocumented” would suddenly obtain legal status.