Jose Antonio Vargas is a successful young writer who recently wrote a piece in the New York Times revealing that he's leading a secret life as an illegal immigrant.

My mother wanted to give me a better life, so she sent me thousands of miles away to live with her parents in America — my grandfather (Lolo in Tagalog) and grandmother (Lola).

I convinced myself that if I worked enough, if I achieved enough, I would be rewarded with citizenship. I felt I could earn it. I’ve tried.

Over the past 14 years, I’ve graduated from high school and college and built a career as a journalist, interviewing some of the most famous people in the country. On the surface, I’ve created a good life. I’ve lived the American dream.

Those who would benefit from giving 30 million illegals a path to citizenship want to use stories like Vargas' to weaken our determination to return to be a nation of laws. We can't allow ourselves to be manipulated.