Pulitzer Winner Vargas Discusses Life as Undocumented Immigrant at Elmhurst College

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, who made a splash in 2011 when he revealed that he had been living in the U.S. as an undocumented immigrant for decades, spoke on immigration and immigration reform at Elmhurst College last Thursday, the Windy City Times reports.

According to the paper, Vargas, who is also openly gay, told of being sent to the States from the Philippines when he was 12, only discovering his undocumented status four years later when he tried to get a driver's permit; from then on, he was told he had to "live in the shadows," using loopholes to get a driver's license and a fake Social Security card to be hired as a writer.

"I think that remembering history is so important when we talk about immigration," the paper quoted Vargas telling attendees, while stating that millions and millions of undocumented whites came to the United States in the early 20th century, and were welcomed.

"We are dealing with two cornerstone questions. What does U.S. foreign policy and trade agreements such as NAFTA have to do with immigration, and why do we frame immigration as a problem and not an opportunity?"

Read the full story at the Windy City Times website.