# Should Vargas (self confessed illegal alien reporter) be deported or charged **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 22, 2011, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491 "2011-06-22T21:52:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/21 "2011-06-23T14:08:22Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > I don’t think many would have fessed up and resign to be deported away from friends/family/loved ones (definitely not a 16 year old homosexual kid). The most rational option would be to wait and hope the law will open a door in the future. It’s unclear to me what the relevance of his homosexuality is. Surely you cannot be suggesting that being gay has any correlation to a willingness to commit crimes? ---
**Author:** ![orcenio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orcenio/32/1036_2.png) [@orcenio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orcenio)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/22 "2011-06-23T14:20:32Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > It’s unclear to me what the relevance of his homosexuality is. > > Surely you cannot be suggesting that being gay has any correlation to a willingness to commit crimes? Coyness doesn’t suit you. ---
**Author:** ![moejoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de053/32.png) [@moejoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moejoe)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/23 "2011-06-23T14:22:47Z")
I don’t understand immigration laws at all so help me out here, can’t we just give this guy a work visa? I’m not comfortable with the idea that someone who came here as a kid to live with naturalized family members should be expected to turn themselves in once they figure out their green card is a fake. This guy is American no matter what his paperwork says. He’s here and has been since childhood and he’s a productive member of our society, but I don’t think he has to be made a citizen to remain in the U.S. does he? It seems to me that citizens of other countries come here to work all the time, how do other expats do it? ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/24 "2011-06-23T14:32:49Z")
Given that Mr Vargas has shared in a Pullitzer prize, he’s probably eligible for an [O-1 visa](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O_visa). The only difficulty that he might face is already being present in the U.S.: normally you apply for such a visa outside the U.S. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/25 "2011-06-23T14:43:48Z")
Wait a sec… He came through a valid port of entry? If he landed in an airport on a tourist/student, whatever temporary visa he entered legally and simply overstayed. There is no penalty currently when someone does this. All he needs is a sponsor (employer or spouse) to file a change of status petition. I don’t understand why he hasn’t done this. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/26 "2011-06-23T14:49:02Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Wait a sec… > > He came through a valid port of entry? If he landed in an airport on a tourist/student, whatever temporary visa he entered legally and simply overstayed. > > There is no penalty currently when someone does this. All he needs is a sponsor (employer or spouse) to file a change of status petition. > > I don’t understand why he hasn’t done this. No, I think that he entered using a forged green card or forged U.S. passport that his “uncle” provided him with. How that forgery was not detected, I’m not sure, but one way or another that “uncle” must have supplied forged documentation for him to enter. ---
**Author:** ![Kinthalis](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kinthalis/32/16084_2.png) [@Kinthalis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kinthalis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/27 "2011-06-23T15:05:05Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > No, I think that he entered using a forged green card or forged U.S. passport that his “uncle” provided him with. How that forgery was not detected, I’m not sure, but one way or another that “uncle” must have supplied forged documentation for him to enter. Ahh, ok yeah, I didn’t see that in the article. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/28 "2011-06-23T15:17:56Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Dear Santa, > > I know it’s early to ask for anything, but please please please for my gift this year make many prominent Democrats publicly proclaim the sentiments above. > > Your Friend, > > Bricker **Bricker** , I never knew you put so much stock in the judgment of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid when deciding what policy proposals to endorse. Anyway, does the above really mean your only objection is that you think the country lacks the political will to pull it off? I’d be delighted to count you among the idea’s supporters. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/29 "2011-06-23T15:18:25Z")
> [@](#): > > “The first man who had fenced in a piece of land, said “This is mine,” and found people naïve enough to believe him, that man was the true founder of civil society. From how many crimes, wars, and murders, from how many horrors and misfortunes might not any one have saved mankind, by pulling up the stakes, or filling up the ditch, and crying to his fellows: Beware of listening to this impostor; you are undone if you once forget that the fruits of the earth belong to us all, and the earth itself to nobody.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality, 1754 We have dangerous criminals on the street and you want to worry about this **contributing member to American society**? Seriously, people. I’d sooner deport a few American citizens before him. I wonder if he’d be eligible for a visa based on his status as a journalist. (I think it’s O3?) ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/30 "2011-06-23T15:21:47Z")
> [@Kinthalis](#): > > Wait a sec… > > He came through a valid port of entry? If he landed in an airport on a tourist/student, whatever temporary visa he entered legally and simply overstayed. > > There is no penalty currently when someone does this. All he needs is a sponsor (employer or spouse) to file a change of status petition. > > I don’t understand why he hasn’t done this. One, his original was fake. Two, he’s overextended his visa so much that there’s no recourse. Jeez. I’d marry the guy at this point. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/31 "2011-06-23T15:26:05Z")
> [@orcenio](#): > > Coyness doesn’t suit you. Again: what is the relevance of his being gay? That’s not a coy question. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/32 "2011-06-23T15:26:35Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > I wonder if he’d be eligible for a visa based on his status as a journalist. (I think it’s O3?) Not O-3 – that’s for spouses and children of O-1 visa holders. As I said above (post #24), the O-1 visa might be a possibility for him. I think you can also get a green card on similar criteria. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/33 "2011-06-23T15:27:29Z")
> [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](#): > > **Bricker** , I never knew you put so much stock in the judgment of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid when deciding what policy proposals to endorse. > > Anyway, does the above really mean your only objection is that you think the country lacks the political will to pull it off? I’d be delighted to count you among the idea’s supporters. As the son of an immigrant and the husband of an immigrant, I am well aware that the immigration mess needs fixing. Still, I think your proposal goes a bit far. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/34 "2011-06-23T15:29:12Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Again: what is the relevance of his being gay? That’s not a coy question. It would be relevant if gays are discriminated against in his home country, the Philippines, or if he is legitimately worried about such discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![Jas09](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/35 "2011-06-23T15:33:15Z")
Also relevant because one of the typical pathways towards citizenship (marriage) was barred for him. ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/36 "2011-06-23T15:33:59Z")
> [@CitizenPained](#): > > — Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Discourse on Inequality, 1754 > > We have dangerous criminals on the street and you want to worry about this **contributing member to American society**? Seriously, people. I’d sooner deport a few American citizens before him. > > I wonder if he’d be eligible for a visa based on his status as a journalist. (I think it’s O3?) Unfortunately for you, Jean-Jacques Rosseau was not in charge of immigration law in this, or any, country. Fortunately for the world, that particular highly naive viewpoint of Rosseau’s did not catch on anywhere. Private ownership of land drives productivity; a lack of private ownership creates the tragedy of the commons. A society that embraced Rosseau’s view would remain hunter-gatherers, and be ripe for the conquering flood of their neighboring society, who would have developed efficient means of production and war-making via their parcels of private land. It’s amazing to me that liberals scream loudly (as they should!) when the state tries to avoid teaching evolution, but some of them then seem blind to evolution’s obvious consequences. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/37 "2011-06-23T15:34:46Z")
SFGate article from editor Phil Bronstein: [I was duped by Jose Vargas, illegal immigrant](http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/bronstein/author?auth=117) ---
**Author:** ![Bricker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@Bricker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bricker)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/38 "2011-06-23T15:35:00Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > It would be relevant if gays are discriminated against in his home country, the Philippines, or if he is legitimately worried about such discrimination. > [@Jas09](#): > > Also relevant because one of the typical pathways towards citizenship (marriage) was barred for him. Very valid points, both of these! ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/39 "2011-06-23T15:43:28Z")
> [@Giles](#): > > Not O-3 – that’s for spouses and children of O-1 visa holders. As I said above (post #24), the O-1 visa might be a possibility for him. I think you can also get a green card on similar criteria. Ah, thanks. I hope some immigration attys can come forward and help him out now. I remember looking up all this stuff last year when desperately trying to find a way out (“in”?) for a couple of students. Best of luck to the guy. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491/40 "2011-06-23T15:58:45Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Unfortunately for you, Jean-Jacques Rosseau was not in charge of immigration law in this, or any, country. > > Fortunately for the world, that particular highly naive viewpoint of Rosseau’s did not catch on anywhere. Private ownership of land drives productivity; a lack of private ownership creates the tragedy of the commons. A society that embraced Rosseau’s view would remain hunter-gatherers, and be ripe for the conquering flood of their neighboring society, who would have developed efficient means of production and war-making via their parcels of private land. > > It’s amazing to me that liberals scream loudly (as they should!) when the state tries to avoid teaching evolution, but some of them then seem blind to evolution’s obvious consequences. Not a fan of Rousseau or just never read him much? It’s fairly observable that so-called civil society’s greatest downfall is institutionalized inequality. Vargas is a contributing member to American society and an American education success story. This immigration mess that we’ve created is a major American moral failure. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-vargas-self-confessed-illegal-alien-reporter-be-deported-or-charged/586491.md?page=3)