Originally published on the CGS blog on July 25, 2014.
US Border Control officers released Jose Antonio Vargas last Wednesday, after holding him overnight at an airport in McAllen, TX, for failing to provide proper identification. Vargas, 33, is a Pullitzer Prize-winning journalist and the star of the critically-acclaimed film Documented, which chronicles Vargas’ life in the US as an undoucmented migrant.
Vargas’ arrest sparked outrage in the US, where he had lived for more than two decades without a single encounter with law enforcement.
Vargas initially came to the US at the age of 12, with a man who allegedly was his uncle. After successfully crossing the border with this “uncle,” Vargas went to California to live with his grandfather and grandmother, both of whom were naturalized US citizens.
In California, Vargas enrolled in a nearby middle school, where he quickly assimilated into American life and customs. He mastered English, acquired friends, and aspired toward “typical” teenage goals like learning to drive.
Vargas discovered that his Green Card was fake when applying for a driver’s license. He confronted his grandfather, seeking the truth about his citizenship status. His grandfather confessed that Vargas’ supposed “uncle” was really a coyote, hired to bring Vargas over the border illegally.
Vargas’ story is further complicated by the recent passage of Obama’s Dream Act, which provides a legal path to citizenship for those who came to the US as young children, stayed at least five years, and graduated from high school. Vargas is 33, and the Dream Act only applies to persons aged 15-30.
Jose Antonio Vargas’ saga is only one of millions of troubling stories regarding immigrants and our broken immigration system. Indeed, there are many others just like Vargas who have lived in the US since childhood, but due to our current immigration laws, are unable to become citizens.
The Senate recently passed a bill with bipartisan support that would drastically overhaul America’s outdated and ineffectual immigration system. It would help provide legal citizenship to people like Jose Antonio Vargas, who desperately want to be US citizens and have lived in the US nearly all their lives, while also helping to augment America’s border security as it struggles to deal with the biggest influx of refugees it has seen in years.
Despite the clear need and reasonable provisions outlined, the bill is likely to die on Capitol Hill. This is because Speaker of the House John Boehner won’t bring the bill to the House Floor for a vote, even though it has bipartisan support and would likely pass.
Looking ahead, I hope that Speaker Boehner may one day change his mind and allow the House to vote on this critical bill, which will have far-reaching benefits for people like Vargas as well as US border security. I hope that hope that one day the people who have made immeasurable contributions to this country–like Jose Antonio Vargas–may be given the opportunity to fulfill their dream and become legal US citizens.
