Jose Antonio Vargas reveals he is an illegal immigrant

The award-winning writer and former Washington Post reporter divulged his secret in an essay in the New York Times Magazine, writing that his immigration status “means living a different kind of reality.”

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Vargas, in New York's Times Square, shared his personal story through a 4,000-word account of his deception, which was published by the New York Times magazine.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

“Over the past 14 years, I’ve graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist, interviewing some of the most famous people in the country,” Vargas, 30, wrote.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

Vargas's forged Philippine passport.

Vargas's forged green card.

Vargas with his mother, Emelie Salinas, when they were still in the Philippines.

Family photo

Vargas with his grandfather Teofilo "Ted" Salinas after Vargas's college graduation in 2004.

Family photo

"I am still an undocumented immigrant," Vargas writes in the Times magazine. "And that means living a different kind of reality."

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

Vargas, who lives in New York, was a part of the Washington Post team that won the 2008 Pulitzer for coverage of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

Vargas has started an advocacy group, Define American, and is promoting passage of the DREAM Act to allow permanent residency to illegal immigrants who come to the United States as minors.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

Vargas, aboard a train between New York and Washington, had approached The Washington Post in March with the idea of a personal account about his immigration and work history.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

“I wanted The Post to run the story. They had to do what they had to do and so did I," Vargas said of why his account was published by the New York Times instead of his former employer.

Bonnie Jo Mount / The Washington Post

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