Mississippi sheriff’s deputy and DACA recipient speaks out: 'This is the American Dream'

Edgar Vasquez Silva is simply a sheriff’s lawman with a heavy Southern accent and an American imagination that’s been years successful the making. But helium isn’t a U.S. citizen, not yet.

"I’m Edgar Vasquez Silva. I’m a lawman for Stone County Sheriff’s Office," Silva said, speaking proudly of his work to the Wiggins, Mississippi, instrumentality enforcement bureau successful a caller interrogation with Fox News Digital.

As a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient – an Obama-era argumentation that aimed to supply amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for radical who entered the U.S. illegally arsenic children but present lone offers impermanent extortion from deportation and enactment authorization – his travel to instrumentality enforcement was acold from easy.

Silva's communicative is 1 of patriotism, work and heavy religion successful the state helium calls home.

Born successful Mexico and brought to the U.S. astatine property 3 with nary prime of his own, Silva grew up successful Mississippi. He worked landscaping and operation jobs successful precocious school, incapable to prosecute nonrecreational enactment owed to his undocumented status. 

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Edgar Vasquez Silva was brought to America arsenic a 3-year-old from Mexico. He credits his DACA recipient presumption with his quality to service successful instrumentality enforcement. (Edgar Vasquez Silva)

After receiving DACA extortion successful 2012, helium was capable to get a driver's license, a Social Security fig and lawful employment. He roseate done absorption roles earlier pursuing his imagination of instrumentality enforcement.

"I went for a mates ride-alongs and I got hooked," helium said. "This was what I was meant to be."

Though restricted from patrol duties that necessitate carrying a firearm owed to his non-citizen presumption and authorities law, Silva recovered different ways to contribute, particularly arsenic a bilingual serviceman serving Hispanic communities that tin sometimes beryllium fearful of police.

"They look similar they’re scared," Silva recalled of immoderate Latino residents during postulation stops. "I would person to archer them, ‘Hey y’all, calm down, we’re not immigration.’"

His Spanish fluency often makes him the span betwixt officers and tense families.

"They would person their kid construe for the parents until I would get there," helium recalled. "Once I was there, they were capable to unfastened up more, and I could assistance my spouse recognize what was truly going on."

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Silva walks with 1 of Stone County Sheriff's Office's youngest visitors. (Edgar Vasquez Silva)

Silva’s relation successful the section is wide respected, particularly by his boss.

"He’s worked with america for … well, helium was already present earlier I took office," Stone County Sheriff Todd Stewart, who assumed bureau successful January 2024, told Fox News Digital. "He does our transport[s] and past besides helps bailiffs erstwhile we’re abbreviated connected bailiffs. He’s wanting to get into instrumentality enforcement, but he’s prohibited by definite statutes successful the authorities law, which he’s trying to flooded but is having a hard clip doing that."

Stewart made wide that helium supports Silva’s vocation ambitions: "Yes, absolutely."

He besides praised Silva’s beingness astir the office, saying, "We prime connected him, conscionable similar we prime connected the different deputies. We person an outstanding unit present successful Stone County, Mississippi, and we each get on good … erstwhile it’s clip for business, we grip business, but erstwhile it is not, we usually person a bully clip joking astir with each other, and he’s a large portion of that."

Silva expressed gratitude for what DACA has allowed him to do: work, wage taxes and unrecorded without changeless fearfulness of deportation, but he’s frustrated by however constricted the programme remains.

Deputy Edgar Vasquez Silva astatine the Stone County Sheriff's Office successful Wiggins, Miss. (Edgar Vasquez Silva)

"For the past 13 years, they’ve been trying to find a solution, but we ever deed a dormant end," helium said. "I’m precise thankful for DACA, but it’s not permanent."

If fixed the accidental to talk with President Donald Trump regarding DACA reform, Silva said he’d beryllium emotional, but respectful.

"I’d astir apt beryllium successful tears. I would archer my president, ‘Sir, I emotion this country. And I commune that there’s thing you tin hole with DACA truthful we tin go Americans and beryllium an plus to you.’"

Stewart echoed that sentiment, adding what helium would accidental straight to the president.

"Well, I would conscionable archer him we request to get it done. You know, he’s been fond of that DACA, a Dreamer, and helium lone knows America. He grew up successful America. I recognize that his ma brought him implicit and stuff, but that shouldn’t punish him, who’s been a captious subordinate of nine his full life," helium said. "He has a Social Security card, helium works hard and helium pays taxes. So, you know, determination should beryllium a way to citizenship."

Silva besides said he's "not concerned" that helium whitethorn beryllium deported nether Trump.

"[I'm] not concerned. I spot successful God that everything volition beryllium OK with what our president is doing, and if I was to beryllium deported, I would commencement a caller section successful Mexico and travel backmost to the U.S. the close way," Silva said. "That is written successful our migration laws."

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President Donald Trump and DACA supporters (Getty Images)

During the archetypal Trump administration, determination were efforts to extremity DACA, but Trump noted successful statements his tendency for Dreamers to enactment successful the U.S. After the medication announced it would signifier retired DACA, national courts stepped in, allowing existent recipients to support renewing their status.

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s effort to extremity DACA was not done properly. This kept the programme live but without a semipermanent solution oregon way to citizenship. New applications were paused, and 500,000 recipients were near successful ineligible limbo.

Most recently, connected Jan. 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued a determination connected the DACA Final Rule. According to the court’s order, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) volition proceed to judge and process DACA renewal requests and applications for enactment permits.

While USCIS is inactive accepting archetypal DACA requests, it volition not process them astatine this time. Current DACA protections and enactment permits stay valid until they expire, unless an individual’s presumption is specifically revoked.

Trump addressed the dilemma facing Dreamers successful an interrogation connected NBC's "Meet the Press" successful December, telling big Kristen Welker he'd beryllium consenting to enactment with Democrats connected a program for DACA recipients, who "in galore cases, they've go successful. They person large jobs," helium said.

"I do. I privation to beryllium capable to enactment thing out, and it should’ve been capable to beryllium worked retired implicit the past 3 oregon 4 years, and it ne'er got worked out," Trump said. "I deliberation we tin enactment with the Democrats and enactment thing out."

Stone County Sheriff’s Office cruiser successful Stone County, Miss. (Stone County Sheriff’s Office / Facebook)

When asked whether he’s faced backlash astir his migration status, Silva said helium hasn’t.

"I person ne'er had anybody travel up to maine and say, ‘You don’t beryllium here.’ A batch of my friends that I grew up with are r--necks. We conscionable instrumentality together."

He besides addressed communal misconceptions, similar marrying for citizenship.

"If I wed someone, it’s due to the fact that I emotion that person, not due to the fact that I request something. I’m excessively American for that."

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To Silva, the American Dream is much than a phrase; it’s his life.

"This state gives america everything we request to unrecorded free," helium said. "No different state does what we do. You enactment and get paid for what you earn. People calved present should beryllium truly proud."

The White House did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for remark connected Silva's case.

Fox News Digital's Chris Pandolofo contributed to this report.