Knocking on congressional doors is part of the process for Vincente Rodriguez, a DACA student and 2017 UC Riverside graduate who has temporarily put his plans to join the teaching profession on hold to lobby Congress to support a permanent solution for Dreamers, those who arrived in the United States as undocumented minors through no fault of their own.

Rodriguez, who met in the offices of U.S. Rep. Tom McClintock (R-Thousand Oaks) and Rep. Francis Rooney (R-Florida) Oct. 24, explained why personal contact is important before congressional decision-making on legislation impacting Dreamers.

“I want to make sure that members of Congress see the debate in human terms. In Washington, people seem driven by numbers. I think it’s important to understand that behind each number, each graph, is a person whose future is hanging in the balance.”  

Collectively, the Dreamers’ futures seem bright. Rodriguez, a double major in English and ethnic studies,  is one of over 20,000 collegians and college graduates with plans to soon join the teaching profession.

But right now, Rodriguez must wait and hope. Due to the latest changes made by the Trump administration, he is stuck in political limbo while the clock is ticking on his status in the only nation he has ever known.