By Matt Finn
Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore says his Department is taking the nationwide lead on a unique immigration challenge: allowing non-citizen DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who become sworn officers the ability to carry a firearm full-time.
Moore said the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners “unanimously approved” the outline of a policy that would allow DACA recipients the capacity to carry a firearm off the job, which has been largely prohibited by law because DACA recipients are not United States citizens.
“We’ve worked closely with the Department of Justice at the state and federal level to express the fact that we desire to form a model policy that we think meets this moment and is the state of the law and provisions of immigration policy in the United States,” Moore said.
The topic of DACA recipients working as police officers is complicated and raises many legal and safety questions, including whether a non-citizen should ever arrest a US citizen and what would happen if a DACA migrant suddenly loses their legal status.
There are nine DACA recipients scheduled to graduate and potentially join the LAPD force in the Spring. The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department tells Fox News six DACA recipients recently graduated from the academy and are sworn peace officers. It has nine DACA recruits in training.
A few of the DACA recruits currently work inside the Los Angeles County jails but are required to leave their firearms at work at the end of their shifts.
Source: Fox News
