Connecticut City to Allow Non-Citizens to Become Police Officers
Officials in Danbury, Connecticut, will allow legal permanent residents and DACA recipients who are not U.S. citizens to become police officers following an 18-2 City Council vote that came days after federal immigration raids rattled the community.
The ordinance expands eligibility to lawful permanent residents and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, provided they meet the same requirements as citizen applicants.
Council member Joe Britton, a Democrat, said the timing was significant following Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Danbury and surrounding cities.
“It’s legal. It’s allowed,” Britton said. “I do think it’s timely, and this vote sends a message to our immigrant community that you are welcome in Danbury.”
Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour supported the change, noting that Connecticut’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council removed its citizenship requirement for lawful permanent residents in 2020 and extended eligibility to DACA recipients in 2025. More than 30 police agencies in Connecticut already allow such applicants.
Ridenhour stressed that applicants will continue to face the department’s existing screening requirements, including background checks, physical and psychological examinations, drug testing and other qualifications.
“This is not asking you to lower our hiring standards,” Ridenhour told council members. “It’s just asking you to align our hiring eligibility with our governing body, which is the POST Council.”
The decision followed a series of ICE operations that resulted in dozens of arrests in the Danbury area. Local officials said the enforcement activity caused some immigrant residents, including those legally in the country, to avoid businesses, parks and schools.
Mayor Roberto Alves, a Democrat who came to the United States as an undocumented child and later became a citizen, supported the ordinance, arguing that otherwise qualified residents should be allowed to compete for police jobs.
The Trump administration has defended the increased immigration enforcement. White House border czar Tom Homan said ICE is targeting people in the country illegally, including those with final removal orders, visa overstays and criminal records.
The Danbury ordinance does not give police the authority to enforce it against immigrants who lack legal status and are not protected by DACA.
–
Original Article: Connecticut City to Allow Non-Citizens to Become Police Officers › American Greatness
About Post Author
