An American-based Canadian men’s fashion writer who shared his story of being an undocumented immigrant in the U.S. put himself in the crosshairs of conservative critics questioning his legal status to remain in the country, including perhaps U.S. Vice-President JD Vance.
In response to the heated L.A. protests over Immigration and Customs Enforcement actions in the city, Derek Guy, who works out of San Francisco, made a candid post on X detailing his experiences.
I debated whether to share my story on here, but I guess I will.
I think there’s an idea out there that millions of violent criminals are pouring across the border, carrying machetes and drugs, looking to harm Americans. Certainly, while some people fall into that category, the…
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) June 8, 2025
After the 1968 Tet Offensive in Vietnam and following an “arduous journey,” his father and mother landed in Canada, where they found work as a janitor and secretary, respectively, and where Guy was born. Work eventually dried up, so his father went across the border to work with a sister in the U.S.
“He ended up staying in the US longer than he was supposed to — not knowing immigration laws — and asked my mom to come be with him. Of course, she went and carried me over the border while I was still a baby,” Guy wrote, noting he remains unclear about whether laws were broken when the trio crossed a border he considers to be still mostly “porous.”
“But either way, since I came here without legal documentation, I eventually fell into the category of being an undocumented immigrant. Yet, I’ve been in the United States since I was a baby. My identity and roots are very much based in this country, no different from anyone else.”
Many people commenting on his post felt differently, with several calling for his deportation.
Eventually, X user
suggested Vance had “the opportunity to do the funniest thing ever,” to which the VP reacted with a gif of actor Jack Nicholson nodding in a scene from The Departed.
— JD Vance (@JDVance) June 9, 2025
“I think I can outrun you in these clothes,” Guy wrote, resharing Vance’s post, accompanied by two photos of the vice-president.
Guy, a freelancer who contributes to the likes of the New York Times and Esquire, has previously critiqued Vance’s wardrobe choices on his X account, which has 1.3 million followers.
Shortly after the former Ohio senator joined Trump’s team last July, Guy opined that “Vance’s jackets don’t hug him very well.” In summarizing a thread on tie choices during the vice-presidential debate with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz last fall, he wrote that Vance’s “was a distraction” and likened it to “something you’d wear to summer garden parties.”
At tonight’s debate though, Vance’s tie was a distraction, while Walz’s tie helped viewers focus on his message. At something as serious as a national debate, Vance would have been better served by a conservative business tie, not something you’d wear to summer garden parties. pic.twitter.com/8MPecX966c
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) October 2, 2024
In March, he responded to a user wondering why Vance’s pants were so short, saying a bespoke tailor he spoke to suggested the pants “are too slim, hence why they ride up on him like this.”
i spoke to a bespoke tailor about this and he confirm: jd vance’s pants are too slim, hence why they ride up on him like this https://t.co/dZmbrvxbV7
— derek guy (@dieworkwear) March 12, 2025
In the remainder of his post about L.A., Guy said the best solution is “systemic” and emphasized a necessity for citizenship paths for non-violent people such as himself and others, who “are good, honest people.”
“Ultimately, I hope me sharing this story helps push back against the idea that all undocumented immigrants are MS-13 members. I know many people in my position and they are all like your neighbors.”
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