Jose Antonio Vargas on Life in a Country That Says You Don’t Belong

Memoir Nation: Weekly Inspiration for Writers is an extension of the Memoir Nation community hosted by Brooke Warner and Grant Faulkner, two friends and colleagues who bring a community-minded sensibility to the writing journey. Originally launched as Write-minded in 2018, this is a weekly writing podcast that focuses on memoir and personal writing, as well as industry trends and tips and resources for writers and authors.

This week’s episode is a timely one—an interview with Jose Antonio Vargas, who outed himself as an undocumented immigrant when he started his nonprofit, Define American. His memoir is Dear America, which was updated last year to include new material for living in Trump’s America. In this interview, Jose shares his experiences with ICE and being undocumented in this country, as well as his insights on the Black/white binary, the construction of race, and so much more. We recorded this episode the day after International Human Rights Day—and Jose’s interview, book, and experience gives voice to the realities of who is being targeted by our draconian immigration policies and how it feels. An important listen.

Subscribe and download the episode, wherever you get your podcasts. 

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Jose Antonio Vargas is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and Tony-nominated theatrical producer. A leading voice for the human rights of immigrants, he founded the nonprofit immigrant storytelling organization Define American, and he explores all facets of immigration as host of its YouTube show and podcast Define American with Jose Antonio Vargas. His best-selling memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen, was published in 2018, with an updated edition in 2025. His second book, White Is Not a Country, will examine America’s foundational Black and White racial binary, and where everyone else fits within and outside that binary.