The movement of people–what Americans call ‘immigration’ and the rest of the world calls ‘migration’–is among the defining issues of our time. Technology and information crosses countries and continents at blistering speed. Corporations thrive on being multinational and polyglot. Yet the world’s estimated 244 million total migrant population, particularly those deemed ‘illegal’ by countries and societies, are locked in a chaotic and circular debate about borders and documents, assimilation and identity. Born in the Philippines and brought to the U.S. illegally as a 12-year-old, Vargas hid in plain-sight for years, writing for some of the most prestigious news organizations in the country (The Washington Post, The New Yorker) while lying about where he came from and how he got here. After publicly admitting his undocumented status–risking his career and personal safety–Vargas has challenged the definition of what it means to be an American, and has advocated for the human rights of immigrants and migrants during the largest global movement of people in modern history.