NBC’s Superstore just made history as they introduced a character who is an undocumented Asian immigrant. And he’s Filipino-American.
In their latest episode “Olympics,” the Fil-Am character Mateo (played by Nico Santos) finds out that he’s not “a real American citizen” because of a counterfeit green card. This fact was then dismissed humorously by his boss.
But despite the comedic factor, this can also set up Mateo’s storyline in the future. It also depicts the state of the somehow imperfect immigration system in the US, and also breaks the idea that only Latin-Americans are undocumented immigrants.
Define American even likened Mateo’s situation to Jose Antonio Vargas, who told his story about being an undocumented immigrant. No one from NBC has confirmed this but it’s good to think that a discussion will start throughout their new season on this matter.
[Define American and Vox]
Photo courtesy of Warner Bros TV
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