Immigration officials won’t deport undocumented journalist arrested in Minnesota
Immigration officials say they won’t move to deport a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who was arrested in Minnesota for driving without a valid license on Friday, the Washington Post reports.
Jose Antonio Vargas drew national attention last year when he very publicly revealed that he’s an illegal immigrant.
He had been driving to Carleton College in Northfield on Friday to speak at an event, but never made it because he was detained by a trooper who pulled him over for having headphones on while driving.
Vargas is a high-profile former Washington Post reporter who was among those featured on a Time magazine cover in June announcing their undocumented status. He founded the website Define American. So his run-in with the Minnesota trooper has drawn a lot of attention.
“I am grateful to have made it home Friday night,” Vargas, an immigrant from the Philippines who lives in New York, told the New York Times. He said he couldn't comment much more about the case.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Monday defended its decision not to take action against Vargas, Politico reported.
An ICE spokeswoman said in a statement, “ICE is focused on smart, effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the removal of public safety threats, recent border crossers and egregious immigration law violators, such as those who have been previously removed from the United States.”
Vargas tweeted this on Friday:
