( CNN ) -- A Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and undocumented immigrant who was detained at a southern Texas airport this week said Wednesday the incident was n't a stunt . Asked how it was possible that he did n't know he would get extra scrutiny at the border airport , Jose Antonio Vargas told CNN 's `` New Day '' that he did n't anticipate being detained in McAllen , Texas , after visiting a shelter where undocumented immigrant children were being held . `` Is it a stunt to get on a plane to leave to try to get out of south Texas ? '' he asked . About his detention , he added : `` That 's the risk undocumented people take every day . '' On Tuesday , U.S. Border Patrol agents detained the journalist-turned-activist at McAllen-Miller International Airport after he told them he was in the country illegally , officials said . He was released later that day and given a notice to appear before an immigration judge . At the very least , Vargas likely knew after he 'd arrived in McAllen last week that he might have difficulty leaving the area by plane or by land . In a piece that he wrote for Politico , he said acquaintances informed him after he arrived that Border Patrol agents check IDs at the airport , and that immigration checkpoints are set up along roads within 45 miles of the city . Vargas became an outspoken advocate pushing for an overhaul of the nation 's immigration laws in 2011 , when he revealed he was undocumented -- having entered the United States from the Philippines as a child -- in a column for The New York Times Magazine . Vargas was detained at the McAllen airport while trying to pass through security en route to Los Angeles , said Ryan Eller , campaign director for Define American , a group Vargas founded in 2011 . Earlier , he visited a shelter to `` highlight the stories of refugee children who have fled countries in Central America because of increased levels of violence , '' according to a statement on the website of United We Dream , a group that provides support to children and families . On Facebook Wednesday , Vargas wrote , `` We , the American people , must not allow our elected officials to further politicize the humanitarian crisis at the border . America does not turn its back on children -- then or now . We must ( find ) a solution to this crisis . '' He wrote that the Rio Grande Valley in south Texas was `` the most militarized zone I 've ever been to in the U.S. Can you imagine living there , being trapped in a 45-mile radius of check-points and border patrol agents ? I only visited and I got out . I got out . What about other immigrants ? '' Recently , Vargas detailed his life story in `` Documented , '' a film about the U.S. immigration debate that he wrote and directed . CNN aired it on June 29 . Even with his high-profile and frequent speaking events about his immigration status , Vargas had n't found himself in the cross hairs of authorities until his trip this month to the border region to support unaccompanied minors coming from Central America . `` Mr. Vargas has not previously been arrested by ( Immigrations and Customs Enforcement , ) nor has the agency ever issued a detainer on him or encountered him , '' the Department of Homeland Security said Tuesday . `` ICE is focused on smart , effective immigration enforcement that prioritizes the agency 's resources to promote border security and to identify and remove criminal individuals who pose a threat to public safety and national security . '' Vargas said he considered the possibility of detention after arriving in the region . `` Because I do n't have any ID besides my Filipino passport , it 's going to be hard for me to actually get out of here at some point when I decide to get out of here in the next couple of days , '' he told CNN on Sunday . Early Tuesday , Vargas tweeted that he was about to go through security at McAllen-Miller International Airport . Since outing himself as an undocumented immigrant three years ago , he says he has traveled extensively , visiting 40 states . `` I do n't know what 's going to happen , '' he tweeted , directing his followers to the Twitter handles for Define American and the University of Texas-Pan American 's Minority Affairs Council . Within minutes , the latter retweeted a photo of Vargas in handcuffs with the caption : `` Here 's a photo of ( Vargas ) in handcuffs , because the Border Patrol has nothing more pressing to do apparently . '' In 1993 , when he was 12 , Vargas came to the United States from the Philippines with a man he 'd never met but whom his aunt and a family friend introduced as his uncle , Vargas wrote in his 2011 New York Times Magazine column . Once in the States , he lived with his grandfather , a security guard , and grandmother , a food server . Both were naturalized American citizens who had been supporting Vargas and his mother since Vargas was 3 . He 'd later learn that his grandfather had paid $ 4,500 for this purported uncle -- who was a coyote , or people smuggler -- to bring Vargas to the United States under a fake passport and name . Vargas : Undocumented and hiding in plain sight .
The New York Times Magazine says Vargas has a notice to appear in court . Officials say he was detained after telling authorities he was in the country illegally . The journalist wrote the next couple of days that he suspected he might not get out of Texas , McAllen .