After I arrived in Mountain View, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, I entered sixth grade and quickly grew to love my new home, family and culture. I discovered a passion for language, though it was hard to learn the difference between formal English and American slang.
— Jose Antonio Vargas
I found out that I was illegal when I was 16. I'm gay. I'm Filipino.
Demographically speaking, young white people are not in the majority in this country; they're in the minority. My question is, if they're not the majority anymore, then what happens? How do things change? Or do they change at all?
When I was a kid, I resented my grandparents not speaking the perfect English I wanted to speak.
As a gay man, I think the role of culture is central to how you change politics - culture is politics.
I think everyone deserves dignity.
I'm sure the president doesn't enjoy being called deporter-in-chief.
I am not a lobbyist. I am not a political activist. I am not a leader, as far as I'm concerned.
I think everybody could agree that our immigration system is broken. We have not told the truth about it.
I've always really wanted to make a film on what it means to be white in a country that's getting less and less white.
When people saw that the film was called 'White People,' many got very defensive. I've been getting some very interesting emails - and I'm used to hate mail, believe me. I think this idea that we grouped white people together is offensive to people.
It's not my job to worry about how Left, Right will react to something. My job is, am I creating something that connects people? That's my job.
People don't really assume that I'm Filipino. Of course, they're gonna think, 'Oh, are you some sort of Hispanic?' and you say, 'No, I'm actually not.' I get Korean or Chinese a lot.
When you're undocumented, you're supposed to keep your head down and be quiet and pay taxes, social security - even though people don't know that we do those things - and not say anything.
You have to do what you have to do. I wanted to work. I wanted to prove that I was worthy of being here... and I was gonna do whatever it took to prove that.
I'm a gay, undocumented immigrant; I have to be optimistic.
The fact of the matter is, this country is not going to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants. What are we supposed to do with them? What are we supposed to do with these kids?
I've been uncomfortable dealing with my identity since I was 16 years old.
Since I got to this country when I was 12, I've been obsessed with this idea of whiteness and blackness because I realized I was neither. For me, it was so important to me to make a film that focused on whiteness because you wouldn't have blackness if you didn't have whiteness.
I guess, as a reporter, I always thought that my biggest strength was that I could get anybody to talk to me. I wasn't the best writer, but I could get people to talk to me.
I'm not a minority: I'm a majority of one. We all are. To call someone a minority, you give them baggage, of not being full, or not being seen as full. All of us need to be seen as full human beings.
You can call me whatever you want to call me, but I am an American. No one can take that away from me. No, no one can.
I wasn't supposed to be walking with Mark Zuckerberg. I wasn't supposed to be interviewing Romney's sons. Why was I doing it? Because I wanted to survive. I wanted to live. I wanted to earn what it means to be an American.
I'm a journalist, and I'm a filmmaker. I have an organization that's all about telling stories.
Laws are getting passed in states like Alabama that basically would punish American citizens who are 'harboring' people. Since the federal government hasn't been able to muster or to get comprehensive immigration reform passed, states are taking it upon themselves to police and enforce laws.
