Gay undocumented reporter pushes immigration reform

Gay journalist Jose Antonio Vargas brought his campaign to alter America's immigration debate to San Francisco this week, and expressed regret for his decision to remain in the country after discovering at the age of 16 that he had been sent here illegally from the Philippines.

Vargas, 30, lives in New York City and grew up in Mountain View outside San Jose. He graduated from San Francisco State University and worked at the San Francisco Chronicle. He then landed in the newsroom of the Washington Post , where he was part of the award-winning team that covered the Virginia Tech shootings.

From there he went to work for the Huffington Post and profiled Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg last year for the New Yorker. He also interviewed former Vice President Al Gore for Rolling Stone and helped helm a documentary about Washington D.C.'s AIDS epidemic that is based on his reporting for the Post.

All the time he was hiding from his employers the fact that he is an undocumented immigrant. His mother sent him to live with his grandparents at the age of 12, and it wasn't until he applied for a driver's license that he discovered his documentation was counterfeit.

His grandfather had hoped he would marry an American and gain citizenship through that route, but those plans were dashed when Vargas came out as gay. While his teachers and high school principal knew about his immigration status, it wasn't until he went to the Post that he first revealed to a newsroom colleague that he was here illegally.

The Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter went public with his stunning revelation in a personal essay he wrote for the New York Times magazine that was published Sunday, June 26, the same day as San Francisco and New York held their annual Pride parades.

"I made a choice. I am sorry for that. I am sorry we are in this situation," Vargas told a packed audience Monday, July 11 during a talk hosted by the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco. "I am sorry I had to lie to the newsrooms. I am sorry my teachers had to be in this position. I am sorry we have to make these choices but what are we supposed to do?"

He has started a new organization called Define American to refocus the immigration debate and push for passage of the Dream Act, which would allow youth who came to the U.S. illegally to receive citizenship if they graduate from college or join the armed forces. Congress failed to enact the bill last year, and with Republicans in control of the House, the legislation has stalled.

Through his new advocacy group, Vargas is trying to educate the public and fellow journalists that the narrative built up in recent years about illegal immigrants is not the full picture.

"We are not what you think we are," said Vargas.

Although former Chronicle executive editor Phil Bronstein wrote that he "was duped" by Vargas and is "collateral damage" in his story, he called him a "colleague and a friend" in his introductory remarks at the Commonwealth Club forum.

Tried to recruit

Earlier this year Bronstein, an editor-at-large for Hearst Newspapers, tried to recruit Vargas for a job in New York. He said it wasn't until Vargas met with him as part of his research and interviewing for the magazine piece that he learned the truth.

When he asked Vargas what he would tell students in a similar situation, Vargas struggled to come up with words of advice.

"I don't know what to tell them. Basically, you have to do what you got to do," he said. "I am not going to tell them to check boxes they shouldn't."

Had any of the people he revealed his undocumented status to told him he should return to the Philippines, Vargas said he likely would have. But no one did, and he sought out ways to remain stateside, going as far as getting an Oregon driver's license because of the state's lax paperwork requirements.

When he did seek out legal advice on how to gain U.S. citizenship, he said he was advised that his past subterfuge prevented him from doing so.

"In 2002 I went to a lawyer who said because I already checked a box you weren't supposed to check you would have to go back to the Philippines and for the next 10 years be barred from the U.S.," said Vargas, who said a family friend upon leaving that meeting told him not to come forward. "If he had said that is what I should do, I probably would have left."

Today, Vargas uses a passport the Philippine Consulate in New York issued him so he can fly around the country for his public appearances. He has yet to be contacted by immigration officials, and due to his high-profile status, is not expected to face deportation hearings.

"I am ready for anything and everything that could happen," he said.

Having revealed his truth, Vargas is unable to work for a salary and no longer holds a valid driver's license. His travel expenses are being covered by the $60,000 Define American has been able to raise since April.

"Nobody can pay me, which is hard," said Vargas, adding that his lawyers are trying to figure out a legal way for him to make money.

As for going back to the Philippines, Vargas is reluctant to do so.

"I would love to see my mom," said Vargas, noting there is "a lot of damage there" in their relationship. But, he added, "I want to be able to come back to America."