We are living through the most anti-immigrant era in modern American history. Immigration of any kind, legal or illegal, is under unprecedented attack. United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, which issues green cards and grants citizenship, has stopped characterizing America as "a nation of immigrants."
-- Narrator - Jose Vargas (Prologue)

Importance: This quote frames the contemporary context of immigration in the United States, as well as how that contemporary context differs from the historical reality. It reflects a shift in the master narrative, as US Citizenship and Immigration Services, an authority in a position of power, is in the process of reframing how the country thinks about immigration. Furthermore, this quote highlights how the idea of "What is American?" is changing. No longer is immigration a central part of American identity and culture, according to those in power at the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

This book is about homelessness, not in a traditional sense, but...
-- Narrator - Jose Vargas (Prologue)