Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen is a political autobiography written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Antonio Vargas. The book was published on 17 June 2019 by Dey Street Books.
The book details Vargas’ experience as an undocumented immigrant who came to the U.S from the Philippines illegally at the age of twelve. Vargas first discovered his illegal immigrant status when he was a teenager applying for a driver’s permit and realized that his papers were fake. Since then, he kept his legal status a secret and went on to have a successful career in journalism. However, he has since declared his legal status to the public, thus making him one of the "most famous illegal" individuals in America.
The book was praised by the New York Times who stated, “Dear America is a potent rejoinder to those who tell Vargas he's supposed to 'get in line' for citizenship, as if there were a line instead of a confounding jumble of vague statues and executive orders." Providence Journal said, "[Dear America] is the voice of one man balancing between the poles of his identity. No matter one's status, that's something everyone can relate to."
