Minneapolis celebrates first non-citizen police officer
The City of Minneapolis celebrated its first non-American police officer Thursday.
Lesly Vera was born in Mexico and came to the United States at age four. She is a green card holder, which means she is a lawful permanent resident, but she is not a US citizen. Vera cannot vote or run for office, which means she has no part in making America’s laws.
But now she can enforce them, thanks to a recent change in Minnesota law.
Last week Vera was sworn in as a police officer, the first non-US citizen to do so. MPD Chief Brian O’Hara celebrated the occasion. O’Hara misguidedly compared enlisting in military service, which is primarily to fight America’s enemies, to enlisting in law enforcement, which is to enforce America’s laws among her citizens.
“There is a history in this country of people, immediately upon arrival to the country, enlisting in the military and serving,” O’Hara said. “And certainly somebody like Lesly, who has been here essentially her entire life, absolutely is entitled to protect her community in the same way as anyone else here has, and we’re honored to have her. And my opinion: she should be at the top of the list when it comes to citizenship.”
Billionaire Elon Musk weighed in on the news by invoking the Roman Empire.
“Near the fall of the Roman Empire, the Roman Army also increasingly relied on non-citizens,” said Musk on X.
Other states without citizenship requirements
Minnesota is not the only state to allow non-citizens in its police forces. An Illinois law took effect this year allowing lawful permanent residents who can legally own a firearm to become police officers.
“An individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is authorized to apply for the position of police officer, subject to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject,” the law reads.
Louisiana, Maine, Hawaii, West Virgina, Colorado, and Vermont are also states that do not have citizenship requirements for law enforcement, though some cities and jurisdictions within those states do.
