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Jose Vargas Speaks At The University Of Wyoming On Immigration

Pulitzer-Prize winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas spoke at a symposium on immigration at the University of Wyoming on September 14, 2014. Jose Vargas outed himself as an illegal immigrant in a New York Times article three years ago. He came to the U-S from the Philippines when he was 12 but never obtained citizenship. Last July, Vargas was arrested at a Texas airport when he admitted he was not a legal citizen of the U.S.

“One of my friends said to me recently that I’m practicing a radical form of transparency. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m saying, I’m here. I’m here illegally without any authorization. I’m not what you think I’m supposed to be. Now what do you want to do with us? And what do you want to do with me? But that is a question that our political leaders have been unable to answer.”

Vargas says the mishandling of Central American children stopped by the thousands at U.S. borders will someday be looked back upon as a turning point in U.S. immigration policy. He says the policy is antiquated and hasn’t been reformed since the Reagan era. 

Melodie Edwards is the host and producer of WPM's award-winning podcast The Modern West. Her Ghost Town(ing) series looks at rural despair and resilience through the lens of her hometown of Walden, Colorado. She has been a radio reporter at WPM since 2013, covering topics from wildlife to Native American issues to agriculture.
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