Vargas “Defines American” During Guarini Lecture Series

As part of the Guarini Institute for Government and Leadership’s Lecture Series, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, founder of DefineAmerican.com and undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas (pictured right) discussed “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant” on October 7 in Roy Irving Theatre. Vargas, who was born in the Philippines, was sent to live with his grandparents in America when he was only a child. It wasn’t until he was 16 years old and tried to obtain a learner’s permit from the department of motor vehicles in California did he learn that his green card was fake, and that he was in fact living in the United States as an undocumented immigrant. Vargas spent the next 15 years of his life living in fear that he would get caught by immigration, yet lived as an American citizen. He went to school and graduated from college. His grandfather even had a social security card made for Vargas so he could work, which he admitted using when working for some of the most prestigious publications in the country, such as The Washington Post. In 2011, Vargas revealed his true identity as an undocumented immigrant in an article he wrote for The New York Times Magazine, titled “My Life as an Undocumented Immigrant.” In the article, he “admitted to everything he had to do to live, thrive and survive in America.” The lecture was followed by a Q&A session.