[美国时代周刊]Time2012-06-25.pdfVIP

Not Legal Not Leaving One year ago, Jose Antonio argas publicly revealed hes an undocumented immigrant. Now he reports on life in citizenship limbo and how others coming out can change the debate P h o tog rap h s by Gi an P a ul L oz z a for TIM E argas, May 24, New York City Jose Antonio Vargas | 5044 words Why havent you gotten deported? Thats usually the first thing people ask me when they learn Im an undocumented immigrant or put more rudely an illegal. Some ask it with anger or frustration others with genuine bafflement. At a restaurant in Birmingham not far from the University of Alabama an inebriated young white man challenged me: You got your papers? I told him I didnt. Well you should get your ass home then. In California a middle-aged white woman threw up her arms and wanted to know: Why hasnt Obama dealt with you? At least once a day I get that question or a variation of it via e-mail tweet or Facebook message. Why indeed am I still here? Its a fair question and its been hanging over me every day for the past year ever since I publicly revealed my undocumented status. There are an estimated 11.5 million people like me in this country human beings with stories as varied as America itself yet lacking a legal claim to exist here. Like many others I kept my status a secret passing myself off as a U.S. citizen--right down to cultivating a homegrown accent. I went to college and became a journalist earning a staff job at the Washington Post. But the deception weighed on me. When I eventually decided to admit the truth I chose to come out publicly--very publicly--in the form of an essay for the New York Times last June. Several immigration lawyers counseled against doing this. (Its legal s