Edgar Vasquez Silva is a sheriff’s deputy with a thick Southern accent and an American dream that’s been years in the making. But he isn’t a U.S. citizen, not yet.

“I’m Edgar Vasquez Silva. I’m a deputy for Stone County Sheriff’s Office,” Silva said, speaking proudly of his service to the Wiggins, Mississippi, law enforcement agency in a recent interview with Fox News Digital.

As a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient – an Obama-era policy that aimed to provide amnesty and a pathway to citizenship for people who entered the U.S. illegally as children but now only offers temporary protection from deportation and work authorization – his journey to law enforcement was far from easy.

Silva’s story is one of patriotism, service and deep faith in the country he calls home.

Born in Mexico and brought to the U.S. at age 3 with no choice of his own, Silva grew up in Mississippi. He worked landscaping and construction jobs in high school, unable to pursue professional work due to his undocumented status. 

President Donald Trump and DACA supporters (Getty Images)

During the first Trump administration, there were efforts to end DACA, but Trump noted in statements his desire for Dreamers to stay in the U.S. After the administration announced it would phase out DACA, federal courts stepped in, allowing current recipients to keep renewing their status.

In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration’s attempt to end DACA was not done properly. This kept the program alive but without a long-term solution or path to citizenship. New applications were paused, and 500,000 recipients were left in legal limbo.

Most recently, on Jan. 17, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit issued a decision on the DACA Final Rule. According to the court’s order, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will continue to accept and process DACA renewal requests and applications for work permits.

While USCIS is still accepting initial DACA requests, it will not process them at this time. Current DACA protections and work permits remain valid until they expire, unless an individual’s status is specifically revoked.

Trump addressed the dilemma facing Dreamers in an interview on NBC’s “Meet the Press” in December, telling host Kristen Welker he’d be willing to work with Democrats on a plan for DACA recipients, who “in many cases, they’ve become successful. They have great jobs,” he said.

“I do. I want to be able to work something out, and it should’ve been able to be worked out over the last three or four years, and it never got worked out,” Trump said. “I think we can work with the Democrats and work something out.”

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

When asked whether he’s faced backlash about his immigration status, Silva said he hasn’t.

“I have never had anybody come up to me and say, ‘You don’t belong here.’ A lot of my friends that I grew up with are r–necks. We just stick together.”

He also addressed common misconceptions, like marrying for citizenship.

“If I marry someone, it’s because I love that person, not because I need something. I’m too American for that.”

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

“This country gives us everything we need to live free,” he said. “No other country does what we do. You work and get paid for what you earn. People born here should be really proud.”

The White House did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on Silva’s case.

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