(NewsReady.com) – Immigration is a hot topic in the United States, especially with the crisis happening at the border. While there’s certainly a problem with illegal immigration, there are millions of migrants legally living in the country who have permission to work. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) is now allowing those migrants to become police officers.
On July 28, Pritzker signed House Bill 3751 into law; it will go into effect on January 1, 2024. The legislation specifically states a person who isn’t “a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the [US] under federal law” may apply to become a police officer. The applicants must meet the same standards as any other law enforcement officer. That includes being allowed to legally carry a firearm under federal law.
State Rep. Barbara Hernandez (D) told the press that the purpose of the law is to “allow DACA and permanent residents […] to apply to become police officers.”
Federal law allows permanent residents to own a firearm, but illegal immigrants are expressly forbidden from owning or possessing guns. While DACA residents are allowed to work in the US, they are not eligible to carry a gun. Essentially that means Illinois’ law will only allow immigrants who possess a green card to become police officers.
Republicans are largely against the law. State Rep. Mary Miller (R) slammed the law in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
At 5pm yesterday, when no one was paying attention, Pritzker signed a bill to allow illegal immigrants to become police officers, giving non-citizens the power to arrest citizens in our state. No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens, this is madness!
— Rep. Mary Miller (@RepMaryMiller) July 29, 2023
Illinois State Senator Chapin Rose (R) called it a “fundamentally bad idea.”
There’s also a lot of misinformation surrounding the passage of the law. For example, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) wrongly claimed the state would allow undocumented immigrants to make arrests. The Fraternal Order of Police made a similar claim, saying, “it allows people who do not have legal status” to enforce the laws. That is also false.
Hernandez claimed they are just trying to fill vacant law enforcement positions during a statewide shortage.
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