While Vargas does not want to overshadow other undocumented people’s stories, he also has to give his readers a general template for thinking about the kinds of experiences and challenges they live with. They have to
lie about their immigration status, try to
pass as citizens or legal residents, and
hide from authorities, institutions, and often even friends and acquaintances. Vargas wants to show why each of these choices is at once
painful,
unnecessary, and
relatable. He wants his readers to empathize with undocumented people’s suffering, recognize that it can easily be eliminated through policy, and also realize that they might make the same decisions if they were undocumented, too.