Let me preface my post by stating that the fact that someone does or will qualify for the DREAM act and has a college degree, work experience, and is Americanized does not put him/her above the law nor is he/she above questioning. Not Jose Vargas, not any other who publishes his or her story. To think that's the case because you are "accomplished" smacks of nothing more than arrogance.

I cannot believe the level of immaturity that some of you are willing to display behind the safety of the screen and with the full freedom of anonimity. What part of the word "opinion" in this thread do you not understand?

Mr. Vargas clearly confessed in the interest of full disclosure for his self-preservation. He has far more to gain by his public confession than by withholding the facts of his life. He did it on his terms in order to preserve his dignity and I think because his original employer, the Washington Post, refused to back him up on his public confession and publish his story. Is his integrity in question? You bet. Like many other things related to law enforcement, it is not the crime, but the cover up that does people in. I believe him to be a good person and hope a good and fair resolution to his case.

And to the ones who are smearing others' parents or even their own to absolve their "illegal" presence in this country or to counteract an argument, please STOP. Have some respect for their sacrifice and honor the fact that you are a DREAM act beneficiary due to the choices that they made for you in bringing you here. No, your parents aren't assholes, your mother isn't a c***, bitch, or any other choice noun of the day (every time I read one of the guys here call their mother that, I cringe. No self-respecting woman would want to have anything to do with guy like that).

No, you arent' a better immigrant because you have a degree. No, you aren't more worthy because you overstayed a visa. No, you aren't better because you are under 30 or under 25. Yes, you do have a choice between obtaining a license fraudulently and taking the bus. Yes, you do have a choice between working under the table or working a false SS number so you can meet your taxpayer obligations. Yes, you do have a choice between paying out-of-state tuition or lying about your status to gain access to higher education. Yes, you do have a choice between marrying for paperwork...or struggling for a decade waiting for the DREAM Act to pass. If it were that easy to live with, there wouldn't be as many of us in this situation as it is. I once consulted an immigration lawyer - a woman none the less- who kind of mockingly said I was very pretty and should have found someone to marry by now. I do have someone I want to marry - he is just foreign like me. Said lawyer made my blood boil, but whatever.

It all comes down to what you value and what will allow you to sleep at night.

If you are here without permission you are an illegal immigrant; it is what it is. h3wlett, if your values and morals discourage you from pursuing fraudulent activity, you do not owe anyone an explanation nor apology for them. Much less someone from this forum who has no relation nor meaning to your life.