--- title: "6 Illegal Quotes By Jose Antonio Vargas" description: "6 Illegal quotes by Jose Antonio Vargas. Plus more from Jose Antonio Vargas and more Illegal sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_accents_i-remember-the-first-thing-i-did-when-i_171586.jpg" --- > [I remember the first thing I did when I found out I was illegal was to get rid of my thick Filipino…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-remember-the-first-thing-i-did-when-i-found-out-i-was-illegal-was/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d85/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_accents_i-remember-the-first-thing-i-did-when-i_171586.jpg) > [Something is fundamentally amiss when you refer to a person as illegal. Bottom line. That's why we so easily talk about this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/something-is-fundamentally-amiss-when-you-refer-to-a-person-as/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a2/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_bottom_something-is-fundamentally-amiss-when-yo_308591.jpg) > [I always felt like I had the word "illegal" tattooed on my forehead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-always-felt-like-i-had-the-word-illegal-tattooed-on-my-forehead/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_felt_i-always-felt-like-i-had-the-word-illega_1140058.jpg) > [When people call me illegal, calling me illegal says more about you than it does about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/when-people-call-me-illegal-calling-me-illegal-says-more-about-you/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/491/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_call-me_when-people-call-me-illegal-calling-me-i_2440523.jpg) > [I am not the 'illegal' you think I am, and immigration is not what you think it is,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-am-not-the-illegal-you-think-i-am-and-immigration-is-not-what-you/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/83f/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_illegal_i-am-not-the-illegal-you-think-i-am-and_2707298.jpg) > [As you can imagine, there were people who were like, "Why are you being the PC cop?" or, "This is Orwellian to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/as-you-can-imagine-there-were-people-who-were-like-why-are-you-being/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/jose-antonio-vargas-14865_cop_as-you-can-imagine-there-were-people-who_2819148.jpg) ## Other authors on Illegal ## More by Jose Antonio Vargas > [I remember the first thing I did when I found out I was illegal was to get rid of my thick Filipino accent. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-remember-the-first-thing-i-did-when-i-found-out-i-was-illegal-was/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [A friend said to me I'm like a walking New Yorker article. It's true! That's how I write. That's how I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/a-friend-said-to-me-i-m-like-a-walking-new-yorker-article-it-s-true/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [Something is fundamentally amiss when you refer to a person as illegal. Bottom line. That's why we so easily talk about this like we're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/something-is-fundamentally-amiss-when-you-refer-to-a-person-as/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [The only reason I became a writer was so I could exist on a piece of paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-only-reason-i-became-a-writer-was-so-i-could-exist-on-a-piece-of/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [The last thing reporters and editors want to be told is what to do and how to write. They don't want to be some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-last-thing-reporters-and-editors-want-to-be-told-is-what-to-do/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I like Q&A's better than articles sometimes because I feel like I'd rather hear somebody actually talk or wrestle with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-like-q-a-s-better-than-articles-sometimes-because-i-feel-like-i-d/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [The immigration bill is going to pass. We're going to have a bill. It's going to get through the Senate. I think the fundamentals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-immigration-bill-is-going-to-pass-we-re-going-to-have-a-bill-it-s/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I got here when I was 12, I found out I was undocumented when I was 16, I became a journalist when I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-got-here-when-i-was-12-i-found-out-i-was-undocumented-when-i-was-16/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [The greatest gift that we have as human beings is our ability to empathize. That's why I think personal stories matter so much. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-greatest-gift-that-we-have-as-human-beings-is-our-ability-to/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [The DREAMers are the safe ones, right? It's okay to advocate for the DREAMers because they're the English-speaking, college-educated ones, right? It's so interesting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/the-dreamers-are-the-safe-ones-right-it-s-okay-to-advocate-for-the/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I'm not excusing the illegal act. I am here illegally. I'm here illegally, without authorization. That's a fact. That's nothing you can call the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-m-not-excusing-the-illegal-act-i-am-here-illegally-i-m-here/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I think I've always been paranoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-think-i-ve-always-been-paranoid/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I grew up in newsrooms. I've been in newsrooms since I was 17 years old. Journalism has been like my church; it's been like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-grew-up-in-newsrooms-i-ve-been-in-newsrooms-since-i-was-17-years/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [I always felt like I had the word "illegal" tattooed on my forehead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/i-always-felt-like-i-had-the-word-illegal-tattooed-on-my-forehead/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) > [America is White and Black and Latino and Asian. America is mixed. America is immigrants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-vargas/america-is-white-and-black-and-latino-and-asian-america-is-mixed/) [Jose Antonio Vargas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-vargas/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illegal/jose-antonio-vargas/#itemlist", "name": "6 Illegal Quotes By Jose Antonio Vargas", "numberOfItems": 6, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I remember the first thing I did when I found out I was illegal was to get rid of my thick Filipino accent. I figured that I had to talk white and talk black at the same time, like Charlie Rose and Dr. Dre. 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