Mercer student takes DACA issue to Washington, D.C.

MACON, Geogria (41NBC/WMGT) – There are about 800,000 Deferred Actions for Arrival program recipients, also known as Dreamers. Mercer University sophomore, Eduardo Rubio is one of them.

Rubio and nearly 100 others protected by DACA around the U.S. took their worries to Capitol Hill, to talk to lawmakers about immigration policies, like DACA and the Dream Act.

“It put a face to the problem. We were no longer just numbers. We were no longer just a problem that you could read about on the news,” said Rubio. “We are people. We’re people with personalities, with stories, and the response that we got from it was very sympathetic, very human, I would say.”

Rubio is triple majoring in economics, math and computer science. When he’s not hitting the books, he’s trying to figure out how he’s going to stay in the only home he knows.

“America is absolutely all I know,” said Rubio.

At 4 years old Rubio and his family left Guadalajara, Mexico to come to Georgia. His younger brother, Ivan was diagnosed with autism.

“My parents had to make a choice, they could either continue their life, where they were comfortable, where they’d lived all their life, or they could come to America,” said Rubio. “And try to give my younger brother an opportunity at life.”

Despite his status, Eduardo considers himself an American.

“We were raised on the morals on the foundations that any other Georgian or American was raised on,” said Rubio.

That’s what he and the other Dreamers wanted congress to know while on the trip to D.C. Rubio spoke to Congressmen, John Lewis (D-GA, 5th District), Jody Hice (R-GA, 10th District), Drew Ferguson (R-GA, 3rd District) and Buddy Carter (R-GA, 1st District).

“Every DACA recipient and myself, we’re here because we want to contribute,” said Rubio.

Rubio says the experience makes him feel very optimistic. He feels that lawmakers will find a way to let Dreamers make their dreams a reality in this country.

“I’m staying optimistic because Trump has definitely said he wants to keep Dreamers here, even after DACA was rescinded,” said Rubio. “So we’ll see.”