ABILENE, Texas (The Global Edition) – Having braved innumerable obstacles in his immigration to the United States, 22-year-old Javier Vargas is finally one step closer to realizing his dream: to become a full-fledged U.S. citizen who the federal government may kill with a predator drone at any time.
“When I saw that leaked memo about how the Obama administration defends the murder of American citizens in drone strikes, I knew that, to really fit in, I needed full legal status as the potential target of a clandestine assassination completely removed from the justice system,” said Vargas. “Anything less just wouldn’t cut it. This is my home now.”
In 2009, Vargas spent five days trekking on foot across the deadly Chihuahuan desert on the U.S.-Mexico border. Like millions before him, he sought a better life for himself and his young family. Since then, Vargas has been working grueling hours at several low-wage jobs to chase his American Dream of becoming an utterly disposable citizen who might be bombed from the sky by the government without warning or judicial review.
“I just want the same opportunities for me and my family as everyone else,” he said. “It’s like the Statue of Liberty says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be anonymously executed at the behest of a high-level administration official if deemed threatening by a top-secret process that has no oversight.’”
While Vargas has yet to obtain full-fledged U.S. citizenship or its entirely arbitrary protections, he hasn’t given up hope.
“Someday, generations from now, I want my grandkids to talk about how their granddad worked and toiled to become part of the great American tapestry. I want them to know how we fought to be equal to every other citizen who the CIA could hit with a missile despite any number of constitutional provisions that supposedly prohibit it,” said Vargas. “I guess I’m just a dreamer.”
“When I saw that leaked memo about how the Obama administration defends the murder of American citizens in drone strikes, I knew that, to really fit in, I needed full legal status as the potential target of a clandestine assassination completely removed from the justice system,” said Vargas. “Anything less just wouldn’t cut it. This is my home now.”
In 2009, Vargas spent five days trekking on foot across the deadly Chihuahuan desert on the U.S.-Mexico border. Like millions before him, he sought a better life for himself and his young family. Since then, Vargas has been working grueling hours at several low-wage jobs to chase his American Dream of becoming an utterly disposable citizen who might be bombed from the sky by the government without warning or judicial review.
“I just want the same opportunities for me and my family as everyone else,” he said. “It’s like the Statue of Liberty says, ‘Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses, yearning to be anonymously executed at the behest of a high-level administration official if deemed threatening by a top-secret process that has no oversight.’”
While Vargas has yet to obtain full-fledged U.S. citizenship or its entirely arbitrary protections, he hasn’t given up hope.
“Someday, generations from now, I want my grandkids to talk about how their granddad worked and toiled to become part of the great American tapestry. I want them to know how we fought to be equal to every other citizen who the CIA could hit with a missile despite any number of constitutional provisions that supposedly prohibit it,” said Vargas. “I guess I’m just a dreamer.”
