Jose Antonio Vargas

Born: 1981-02-03

Jose Antonio Vargas (born February 3, 1981) is a journalist, filmmaker, and immigration rights activist. Born in the Philippines and raised in the United States from the age of twelve, he was part of The Washington Post team that won the Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News Reporting in 2008 for coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting online and in print. Vargas has also worked for the San Francisco Chronicle, the Philadelphia Daily News, and The Huffington Post. He wrote, produced, and directed the autobiographical 2013 film Documented, which CNN Films broadcast in June 2014. In a June 2011 essay in The New York Times Magazine, Vargas revealed his status as an undocumented immigrant in an effort to promote dialogue about the immigration system in the U.S. and to advocate for the DREAM Act, which would provide children in similar circumstances with a path to citizenship. A year later, a day after the publication of his Time cover story about his continued uncertainty regarding his immigration status, the Obama administration announced it was halting the deportation of undocumented immigrants age 30 and under, who would be eligible for the DREAM Act. Vargas, who had just turned 31, did not qualify. Vargas is the founder of Define American, a nonprofit organization intended to open up dialogue about the criteria people use to determine who is an American. He has said: "I am an American. I just don't have the right papers." In September 2018, his memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published by Dey Street. In July 2022, he was appointed to the California State University Board of Trustees by Governor Gavin Newsom.


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Outrage

as Self
Released: 2009-04-24

An indictment of closeted politicians who lobby for anti-gay legislation in the US.

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Documented

as Self
Released: 2013-06-21

In 2011, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas outed himself as an undocumented...

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The Daily Show

as Self
First aired: 1996-07-22

The World's Fakest News Team tackle the biggest stories in news, politics and pop culture.

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Real Time with Bill Maher

as Self
First aired: 2003-02-21

Each week Bill Maher surrounds himself with a panel of guests which include politicians, actors,...

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Sabuesos

as Self
First aired: 2018-07-31

Max is a Jack Russell dog genetically modified for criminal purposes so he is able to talk....

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