Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker has recently signed a bill that will allow non-U.S. citizens to become police officers in the state, a controversial move that has sparked outrage from Republicans and other critics who argue it is “a fundamentally bad idea” to allow foreigners to arrest American citizens.
House Bill 3751 (HB3751) removes the requirement of U.S citizenship as a qualification for becoming a police officer in Illinois, effective January 1st 2024 when the new law goes into effect despite opposition from GOP lawmakers and prominent police groups such as the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP).
The bill states that non-US citizens must be legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law and be able to obtain, carry, purchase or otherwise possess firearms under federal law in order to apply for the job.
DACA recipients are also entitled to apply for positions with law enforcement agencies according to this legislation however, federal laws currently forbid any non-U.S citizen from serving as a policeman or deputy officer.
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
Republicans have expressed outrage over this new directive with Rep Mary Miller tweeting “No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens.”
Colorado representative Lauren Boebert also commented on Twitter saying “In the state of Illinois, illegals can now become police officers” adding “we either address this border crisis or allow our country to descend further into a Leftist dystopia.”
The FOP also released an official statement condemning HB3751 which read “What message does this legislation send when it allows people who do not have legal status to become the enforcers of our laws? This is a potential crisis of confidence in law enforcement at a time when our officers need all the public confidence they can get.”
Republican Senator Chapin Rose echoed these sentiments by saying “I don’t care where this individual is from,” continuing on by stating “They should not be able to arrest a United States citizen on United States soil.”
In the state of Illinois, illegals can now become police officers.
Yes, you heard that right.
People who are breaking the law by their presence here can now arrest American citizens.
You know the other blue states are watching and getting ready to implement this idea as soon…
— Lauren Boebert (@laurenboebert) July 30, 2023
