With Independence Day around the corner, Pulitzer Prize-winning, undocumented journalist Jose Antonio Vargas, whose compelling film "Documented" aired on CNN this Sunday, couldn't have picked a better time to ask the country "How do you define American?"

If you take into consideration our broken immigration system and a desperate need for immigration reform, what may seem like a simple question becomes a complicated one to answer. It has also sparked an open dialogue and debate across the country through "Define American," a non-profit organization that "seeks to elevate the conversation about immigration."

"How do you define American?" holds a colossal amount of weight and reflection, but it weighs heavily on the shoulders of Vargas, a talented, hard-working, gay, Filipino journalist who was brought to the U.S. as a child — the very place where he became a watchdog for the American people through his impressive work at the Washington Post, among other notable media outlets. 

So, when CNN tweeted: "Do you think Jose should be deported? Answer with JOSESTAY or JOSEGO," at the culmination of the eye-opening and very intimate documentary, many viewers and avid Vargas supporters were floored and offended that the very network that aired the film would reduce his immigration status — essentially the state of his entire life — to a deportation poll on Twitter.

The tweet that many believed to be in poor taste sparked a debate on social media, yet at the same time Vargas defended the poll.

Vargas told Buzzfeed: "I am grateful to CNN for airing this film and sparking a national conversation on immigration and family separation," Vargas wrote to BuzzFeed.

"At a time of political standstill, with reporters calling immigration reform, 'dead,' we gotta humanize this issue. Asking 'JoseGo' and 'JoseStay' is a way of asking my fellow Americans, 'What do you want to do with me? What do you want to do with us?'"

In addition to Vargas, CNN's social media manager defended the poll, tweeting: "It's the question [Jose] asks presidential candidates, congressional committees...It's central to the film."

Fusion was ambivalent. "We spent two hours watching a film that articulates the myriad ways in which deportation is a non-starter, and now CNN wants to engage in a paradigm that they just invested two hours of air time tearing down?!#IRONY But in all fairness, it's a provocative question and a great reality show concept."

While I am a believer in the freedom of speech and see the importance and value of live dialogue via social media, I have to admit that I don't feel 100 percent comfortable with the poll. Its wording seems to lessen the gravity of the situation, which is quite serious for Vargas and millions of others whose lives are unfortunately in the hands of a broken immigration system. At the same time, the tweet drew the buzz and attention to a greater cause, Vargas' mission and the need for immigration reform, so they did their job from a social media standpoint.

After watching "Documented" as a part of Immigrant Heritage Week on April 17 at the Museum of Moving Image in Long Island City, New York, and meeting Vargas, I was extremely moved by his story and think everyone should watch this film. It is sure to move you, and as I wrote in an earlier report, "Jose Antonio Vargas' Riveting Film 'Documented' Will Compel You to Re-Evaluate Your Stance on Immigration Reform."

What do you think, was CNN's tweet written in poor taste?

CNN will air an encore of "Documented" on Saturday, July 5 at 6pm PT/ 9pm ET.