STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Cesar Vargas came to this country with his family as a child, an undocumented immigrant. He just earned his citizenship earlier this month, and now he’s running to be Staten Island’s next borough president.
In a Wednesday interview with the Advance/SILive.com, Vargas, who arrived in the U.S. from Mexico when he was “five or six,” said that if elected he hopes to use his life experiences to better serve the people of Staten Island.
“It’s time for bold leadership,” he said. “We need that bold leader who’s going to connect with everyone and create opportunities for everyone.”
For the Annadale resident, part of that bold leadership is what he calls “Upgrade Staten Island,” which will take a look at the borough’s infrastructure needs before the pursuit of broader development, he said.
Those needs include the completion of the East Shore Seawall, improvements to the Island’s energy grid, and the Island’s transit options.
“It’s one of the key components that I’m going to be pushing,” he said. “Before we talk about any major development . . . we should first address the key infrastructure needs”
In 2015, while living on the Island, Vargas made history as New York’s first non-citizen to be admitted to the state bar under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. He graduated from the CUNY School of Law in 2011, and an appellate court had to approve his application to practice law.
When first arriving in the country, Vargas said he lived with his mother in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, where he was exposed to many of the other immigrant communities in the city.
A long-time advocate for the Island’s immigrant community herself, Vargas’ wife, Yesenia Mata, works as the director of La Colmena, a job community center in Port Richmond.
Vargas became a U.S. citizen in early February and now hopes to take the next step in engaging with the country’s democratic process.
The candidate serves as a specialist with the U.S. Army Reserves, and currently works as the legislative director and special projects coordinator for the office of City Councilman Carlos Menchaca (D-Brooklyn).
“Your experience and background counts when it comes to connecting with people,” Vargas said. “When you are someone who has chosen to be an American, chosen to be a Staten Islander, it connects you to the world.”
In announcing his candidacy, Vargas enters a Democratic primary field with at least four other candidates — Mark Murphy, Lorie Honor, Radhakrishna Mohan and Brandon Stradford — who have filed with the Campaign Finance Board.
Vargas has yet to do that, but said during his interview that he is working on filing the paperwork while focusing on getting the necessary number of signatures to get on the ballot.
The Staten Island Democratic Party endorsed Murphy last week, but Vargas said he intends to continue his push to be the Island’s next borough president, in part because of how his own life story reflects the opportunity in the country.
“Government is for everyone, government can work to protect everyone and government can create opportunities, he said. “For me, that connection is something that no other candidate can make.“