Stand with Jose Antonio Vergas on Immigration Talks!

I am an American citizen because most of my ancestors were brought here by terrorizing force, because many were here before the terrorists came, and because some were the terrorists.  Among my admittedly mixed feelings for my country, is a great pride for our Statue of Liberty.   Despite the initial stripping of her African vestiges, she still represents the best aspect of this land – that potential for a decent life that is every immigrant and every citizen’s dream.   

Certainly, there is not room enough to accommodate the world’s tired, poor and homeless, especially given the rate in which our foreign and domestic policies increase of those numbers.  There should be, however, a serious discussion on the terrible disparity by which some of the world’s huddled masses are harbored on our shores and other’s are not. There should be a discussion of our adherence to laws that abolish basic decency, and our avoidance of all such laws whenever and for as long (and only as long) as they do not serve the benefactors of near slave labor.   

I am an American citizen because I was born here.  Nothing is asked of me and very little required in return for my citizenship.  Yet every day, people who contribute greatly to this country, often under the horrific conditions, are tossed out like trash to make room for wealthier, whiter, and / or otherwise more acceptable inhabitants.  There should be a discussion about what this country is and (putting greed, xenophobia and outright racism aside) what it could be. 

Photo: flickr/detritus

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist / undocumented immigrant Jose Antonio Vargas asked me and others thorough Change.org if I would stand with him on a new conversation on immigration.  I said yes.   

He wrote: 

Three weeks ago, I published an exposé in the New York Times. It was my life story: I came to this country as a boy, learned English, embraced America, and thrived. But at age 16 I found out that I am an undocumented immigrant. And I have been hiding that fact ever since. I left my job as a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and came out about my immigration status because it's long past time to strike up a more civil, inclusive debate about immigration in America. It was a risk, but I was tired of staying silent. More than 6,000 Change.org members from all over the country have joined me in calling for a new national conversation on immigration -

- and I'm bringing all of their voices with me when I go on the Colbert Report on Thursday night. (July 15, 2011!)... We may not all agree on how to fix it, but one thing we can all agree on is that our immigration debate is out of control and our immigration system is badly broken. I believe not only that we can do better but that we must....

Some would say my story is the tale of a hard-working immigrant who defines the American dream: achieving success against great odds, working hard, and even earning a Pulitzer Prize for my reporting. Still, despite everything I've achieved, the law still says I am not technically an American. I am undocumented.  I want to ask my fellow Americans: What would you do if you found out at age 16 that you didn't have the right papers? As a journalist, my job is to ask questions that spark conversation. Now I am asking you to join in that conversation.  

If you would like to join me in standing with Jose Antonio Vargas, Click Here!

Thank you for reading my blog today. Please be kind to yourself and to others. Share your visions of peace and justice with the world. Strive always to leave each place you visit the better for your having been there! - TCK
 

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