Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen by Jose Antonio Vargas

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas’, ‘Dear America, Notes of an Undocumented Citizen’ is a well-written and heartbreaking account of his experiences with our country’s broken immigration system and diminishing moral vision. Though the book includes immigration statistics, historical records and sociological analysis, its strength derives from Vargas’ personalization of our country’s punitive and punishing immigration policies. Look no farther than recent news reports about children being separated from their parents at the Mexican border to know that lawmakers must take action. The complication: an increasing number of policymakers oppose accepting more immigrants, illegal or legal.  It appears they want to keep people of color out of our country. Vargas’s book illustrates the critical importance of compromise and the necessity for a transparent process for immigration. A resolution will benefit not just immigrants but repair the soul of our country.

In 1993, when Vargas was 12-years old and living in the Philippines, his mother told him they were going to live with her parents in America. He would fly first with an “uncle,” and soon, his mother would follow. The “uncle” turned out to be a smuggler whom his grandfather had paid. Vargas’s story echoes the experience of millions of children (many who are now referred to as Dreamers) who were brought to the United States illegally by parents who wanted a better life for their children.

He moved into his grandparents’ house in Mountain View, California, in Silicon Valley. Though his Mom’s arrival kept getting delayed, he worked hard to become “American.” He was bright, curious and became very involved in his middle school and high school.  Everything changed when he turned 16. Without telling his grandparents, he went to the DMV to obtain his driver’s permit. The bureaucrat told him his green card was fake. He biked home in a panic. His grandfather said in Tagalog, “You are not supposed to be here.” Those words haunted him for years.

And yet, he couldn’t return to the Philippines either. His passport was fraudulent. He says of his large extended family that had immigrated legally, “They had conspired to send me to America to give me a better life without realizing they had created a nightmare for me. And I was scared. I couldn’t stay legally. I couldn’t leave legally either. I was trapped.”

Vargas shifts into overdrive to “earn” his place in America. He confides in trusted adults in his school community who embrace him. They help him apply to college, obtain a scholarship and navigate newspaper internships. Vargas feels free writing and reporting. “I realized that writing was the freest thing I could do, unencumbered by borders and legal documents and largely dependent on my skills and talent.” Soon he writes for several eminent publications, including the San Francisco Chronicle, Washington Post and the New Yorker.

Yet, the cost of lying, passing and hiding extracts a substantial emotional price. Vargas’ anxiety soars as he fears exposure.  He makes “illegal” choices as he continues working and living in a legal no-man’s land. He asks his readers,” If you wanted to have a career if you wanted to have a life, if you wanted to exist as a human being, what would you have done?” When he turns thirty, he decides to share his undocumented legal status publically. He notes how pundits, policymakers, and American citizens don’t understand the immigration system. People say, “Just get to the back of the line and all will be good,” and Vargas wants to scream, “THERE IS NO LINE. THERE IS NO PROCESS. IN THE EYES OF THE LAW, I DO NOT EXIST.”

Vargas’s book is both insightful and inspiring. He understands the political and racial dimensions of this issue. He says, “When white people move, then and now, it’s seen as courageous and necessary, celebrated in history books. Yet when people of color move, legally or illegally, the migration itself is subject to the question of legality. Most immigrants, he reminds us, love America, obey the laws and pay their taxes.

For Jose Antonio Vargas and his fellow Dreamers, the United States is their home. By sharing his undocumented status, he has sacrificed a great deal. His journey continues to be painful, with no resolution in sight. He reminds us of what many Americans seem to forget: except for Native Americans, we are all immigrants.