The terms “undocumented immigrants” and “illegal aliens” carry different connotations with them. Personally, when I hear others call people “illegal aliens”, I feel that it is a form of disrespect towards individuals in these situations. Saying someone is “illegal” makes them sound like a criminal regardless of who they are. When you hear “illegal”, you think drugs, human trafficking, murderers etc. Anything that is seen as maleficent usually comes into mind. “Undocumented immigrants”  I believe is a much better term to call someone in this certain situation. People in Vargas’ situation should have the option of being called what they want regarding their legal status. I do not think it is fair to have to label certain people for this reason or any reason at all. The way I see it, it is unfair and it affects the opportunities of these individuals. Growing up with undocumented family members, you learn to understand why it is wrong to have to label someone and you get to see how these labels negatively impact ones self esteem, mental health, opportunities etc. Many undocumented immigrants do so much to contribute to the country, as Vargas stated “ [he] was paying state and federal taxes,” though he was using an invalid social security card he still decided to pay taxes. Apart from that many of these individuals manage to assimilate into the country, unfortunately based on the way they look, they are not accepted no matter how “American” they may seem as Vargas points out “ they don’t want to assimilate, they are a drain on society. They’re not talking about me, I would tell myself. I have something to contribute.” These individuals grow up in a place they see as home, actually the only place they know as home but are labeled as “illegal” and are not accepted into the society because of the way they look which is cruel. They are denied certain opportunities as Vargas points out, he was denied certain jobs, internship opportunities and aids because of his status. They try to live up to the American Dream; some fail, some live it. However, sometimes those who live it, such as Vargas, are living with lies which just weighs them down and exhausts them, all so they can have a better life and move on. Fortunately acts such as the DREAM Act have tried to help these individuals with their situation. Many of these individuals are called DREAMERS, which I think is a better term to call these people because it fits them perfectly since in reality all they want to achieve is the American Dream.

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