The Colbert Report: Jose Antonio Vargas & Immigration

Last week on The Colbert Report, Stephen Colbert interviewed  self-disclosed undocumented immigrant and award winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas in an entertaining and yet at times serious manner. My thoughts on illegal / undocumented immigration are rooted from my parents’ and friends’ experience on immigration and naturalization as American citizens.

My father first came to the United States in the mid-1960s for graduate school, much like his fellow Taiwanese. He felt that there were greater opportunities in the United States at the time after graduation and remained to eventually become an American citizen as immigration reform had passed. One of my best friend’s from college, who also happened to be from Taiwan, stayed in the U.S. after graduating from undergrad and grad school and was sponsored via  a work visa. I believe it took my friend over 5 years to get his green card and several more years for his citizenship.

So when it comes to immigration reform, I definitely do not agree upon immediate “amnesty,” but certainly a path to citizenship with the requisite waiting period. Of course, maintainining the fidelity of our nation’s borders is required – but the last thing I’d want for the United States to do is spend money we doesn’t have to build a “Berlin Wall” along our Northern and Southern borders. Our best long-term solution at least with regards to our Southern border is to help improve economic conditions with our Mexican neighbors so that the need for many to immigrate to the U.S. is unnecessary.  Hopefully we can address this issue in the near future, but I am doubtful anything will happen in this arena prior to the 2012 presidential election. The last time immigration reform was addressed was back in 1986 under Reagan, who in today’s GOP politics, would probably considered a liberal.