27 November, 2014

“For Decades, I Have Cringed Whenever Someone Called Me ‘Illegal’” - Jose Antonio Vargas - POLITICO Magazine

“For Decades, I Have Cringed Whenever Someone Called Me ‘Illegal’” - Jose Antonio Vargas - POLITICO Magazine: Of all the questions I get asked as an undocumented immigrant in the United States, there are two—asked in various permutations via email, social media or in person—that chill me to the bone: “Why don't you just make yourself legal?”

And: “Why don’t you get in the back of the line?”

The questions underscore the depth of misunderstanding about how the immigration process works, and doesn’t work. They imply that, short of self-deportation, there is a process for undocumented people like me to follow, a way to rectify the situation and adjust our status. Just show up at an office, fill out a form, and get in the back of a line. Somewhere. Anywhere.