FOREIGN BORN OBSERVER ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION
JOSE ANTONIO VARGAS IS WHAT YOU CALL, AT FIRST, A FILIPINO TNT (TAGO NG TAGO OR HIDE AND HIDE IN ENGLISH). But wait, the more I read his story the more I learn it wasn't true.
Vargas was born on February 3, 1981 in Antipolo, Rizal, Philippines. He came to the United States (California?) when he was 12 years old holding a Philippine passport. Who welcomed him - a parent or a relative?
He worked as a reporter for the Washington Post and received the Pulitzer Prize with other colleagues for reporting the Virginia Tech massacre. It's vague why when he was hired for the job why the newspaper did not check his American citizenship. In 2011, at age 30, he came out as an undocumented immigrant joining the 60,000 ? illegal immigrant Filipinos living and hiding all over the United States. In the light of his pronouncement of his illegal status it was amazing how he had been able to travel inside the states since then and was not deported. Why or how so? He traveled with just a Philippine passport and no U.S. Visa. As an observer, he's allowed to stay all this time for reasons unknown to me flaunting and breaking the immigration laws with the help of immigration activists and because he got on the cover of Time magazine among other things.
I'm baffled why Vargas as a young man did not take advantage of all the available ways to become a U.S. citizen:
- Go to an immigration lawyer to help and file his case
- Ask his congressman where he was a "constituent" for help (I was told congressman/senator are not allowed to help their "constituent" anymore because of ethics)
- There was an immigration amnesty in the 1996 ? and in 2004 or 2006 ? (I have to verify when?)
Internet Search: US Immigration Amnesty
Now it turned out he's no longer TNT. He became the Illegal Filipino poster child, documentarian and a high profiled immigration activist. He and fellow activists turned the table around by accusing the U.S. government of being "immoral" and "criminalizing" their stay here. I call it chutzpah!
_______________________________
Published 1/4/06 ALT MSN Group
Web Page: NewBuster
In many angry comments in social media -- almost all said Vargas should be deported to the Philippines. In his Philippine passport it was stamped "Immigrant." I'm confused as ever.
ReplyDeleteThe 1986 Immigration Amnesty was during the Reagan presidency. He did not do it for political reason but because he's a compassionate conservative. Later on, a few conservative didn't like what he did, albeit a "mild" criticism.
ReplyDeleteThere was an amnesty In 1994 and 1997 when Vargas was 13 and 16 years old. He could have applied for amnesty. However, I read somewhere he did not know he was an illegal immigrant and he was not told until later. Why the lapse?
ReplyDelete