Jose Antonio Vargas has a unique perspective on being American. Jose was 12 years old when he was clandestinely transported to America. It wasn’t until years later when he was applying for his driver's license that he discovered his own “illegal” status. This was the year that Jose began a period of living with a lie of false citizenship. He began writing for school newspapers in high school and college. Eventually, he would write for prestigious organizations, such as The San Francisco Chronicle, The Washington Post and The New York Times, all the while a small whisper was lurking in the back of his mind repeating the phrase “Illegal immigrant.” In 2011 the Pulitzer prize-winning author wrote a 4,500-word article for The New York Times unveiling his undocumented status to the entire world. One moment of the film that had a significant impact on me was when Vargas recounted that it was much easier for him to come out as gay than to come out as undocumented. Vargas reported that it was particularly difficult in high school because he was living in two closets.
One of the most interesting things that this documentary does is challenge our own definitions of what it means to be an American. Vargas purposefully frames the question amidst the backdrop of his own heart-wrenching story, not to achieve special case treatment as a high ranking media producer but rather to draw attention to the plight of thousands of others who, like him, have no viable path towards citizenship. Vargas utilized his own compelling story to drive the viewer to possibly throw out their old definitions about what it means to be an American in favor for definitions that were loftier and more meaningful. The challenge effectively asked the viewer, “Is being American about a piece of paper that declares citizenship?”
Vargas leans towards the word “American” meaning something greater than simply citizenship. Jose always considered himself American even though his American citizenship was never officially established. His American-ness stems from the fact that he was raised in California with a classic All-American education. Later he was afforded his own successful attempts at developing his own American Dream as well as openly engaging in a classical pursuit of happiness as he chose the career path towards journalism, a field that he felt personally impassioned about. Our founding fathers would clearly call him an American.
The message of “Documented” was that being American is about much more than citizenship. Non-citizens often engage in significant business and political processes in our country that clearly reflect a strong American spirit. Even though he may not officially be an American citizen, Jose clearly got into a position of influence in the world community and the spirit with which he engages the world is clearly American. His actions are inspired by the ideals of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution as well as the reverberating echoes of this nation’s proud history of brave men and women. Even though Jose is not officially an American citizen, he is an active and contributing member of American society. One of the most powerful moments in the film was when Vargas was standing in front of the U.S. Congress and asked, “What do you want to do with me?” an answer that still hasn’t come out of a Congress that has effectively stalled out on the immigration debate. Hopefully with CNN’s release of this film, the debate will be reignited in America.
