Former Republican Sen. Mel Martinez says the journalist who recently revealed his illegal alien status in a New York Times story should be allowed to remain in the United States and become a
citizen,
Politico reports.
Jose Antonio Vargas, who had been a reporter for the Washington Post, admitted that he discovered at age 16 that he was not a U.S. citizen. He was born in the Philippines.
"It's a difficult problem, and what we need to do is find a way in which Jose can continue to contribute to this country," Martinez said Sunday on "This Week."
"He wants to be an American. This is a great thing. This is the Fourth of July. We need to talk about the fact that this is a country people still yearn to come to. People love this country and when they come here, they get invested in America. They want to become Americans.
"Allow this man to become an American," said Martinez, who represented Florida in the U.S. Senate.
© 2026 Newsmax. All rights reserved.