Earlier this week, Jose Antonio Vargas, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist (and former senior contributor to the Huffington Post, among other publications) revealed that he is undocumented.  He stated that when he was 12 years old, his mother sent him from the Philippines with the intention of joining him, but she never did.  Vargas told ABC News that he never knew he was undocumented until someone at a local DMV told him his green card was fake.  Vargas is now arguing that he graduated high school and college, created a career as a journalist, interviewed some of the country’s most influential people and lived the American Dream…so why should him being an illegal alien matter?

Well Jose, let me tell you. It is no more complicated that you stated: it’s illegal.  In his statement to ABC, Jose said that he did things he knew were “wrong and unlawful” and used a “21st century underground railroad of supporters, people who took an interested in my future and took risks for me”.  Vargas said he is ‘coming out now’ to fight for immigrant rights and passage of the DREAM Act. He concluded his interview with, ‘Call me what you want, but I am an American.’

Actually, Jose, you’re not.  You weren’t born on American soil, you didn’t come here legally and once you discovered you did not have a legal status, you still did not make an effort to go through the proper channels to obtain citizenship. 3 Strikes, and you’re out, buddy! Deportation is the only option.

I would like to know why he thinks he should be allowed to stay?

And not only should Jose be held criminally responsible, but so should the people who aided him, allowed him to use their address, obtain a false social security card, kept his secret.  What’s more, how did he pay for college? and to live when he was younger? Has he paid taxes all these years? If so, how? Sure, he was a minor when he arrived, and sure, he probably had it pretty tough. But he isn’t a minor anymore and he doesn’t have it tough now, so he knowingly broke the law, and now he needs to pay the price.  Just because you didn’t become victim to the system doesn’t transform your status from illegal to legal.  And what is even more frustrating is that he is using his public status to gain support to rally around him to make this a high-profile case and use the publicity to his advantage.