by Mark Schwendau
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D), who is in his second term after making billions as part of the Hyatt Hotel chain, signed Illinois House Bill 3751, which passed with bipartisan support during the spring session. That bill allows non-citizens to enter the profession as law enforcement officers in Illinois.
The bill was immediately denounced by the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), an organization consisting of law enforcement officers nationwide. “What message does this legislation send when it allows people who do not have legal status to become the enforcers of our laws?”
Pritzker has previously gained the ire of many Illinois residents for other legislation he signed into law related to public safety, such as a statewide ban on assault weapons, high-capacity ammunition magazines, and a cashless bail system.
House Bill 3751 description on the Illinois General Assembly’s website says it amends the State’s Municipal Code, providing that “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.”
It further states eligible non-U.S. citizens are subject “to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject,” and must be able to obtain, carry, purchase, or otherwise possess a firearm under federal law.
A post was made by Illinois Republican Rep. Mary Miller, who tweeted Saturday, “At 5 p.m. 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,” she added. “No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens; this is madness!”
People 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 as they can!” the Republican congresswoman wrote. “We either address this border crisis or allow our country to descend further into a Leftist dystopia.”
Republican State Sen. Chapin Rose opposed the bill and said noncitizens shouldn’t be allowed to detain citizens.
“This is just a foundational thing. I get that everybody is running away from law enforcement in Chicago because of everything the state of Illinois has done to law enforcement in Chicago,” Rose said. “But to backfill that and hand the power to arrest and detain a citizen of this state or any state in the United States to a noncitizen is a fundamental breach of democracy.”
Pritzker signed over 130 bills, of which HB3751 was among them Friday. Monday, the governor said he was proud to sign the bill. The majority of Illinois citizens are left scratching their heads.
One reason is that Federal law currently forbids non-US citizens to serve as police officers and deputies. Another reason is this seems to be the opposite of former President Donald Trump’s “America First” policies. Are we now short of American citizens who want to enter law enforcement?
The measure signed into law late Friday is to go into effect in January of 2024. The new law is said only to allow those legally authorized to work in the U.S. and able to lawfully obtain, carry or purchase firearms to be police or sheriff deputies.
Previously, state statute said “it was unlawful” for the sheriff of any county or local government to “authorize, empower, employ, or permit any person to act as a deputy sheriff or special policeman to preserve the peace, who is not a citizen of the United States.”
Struck from the statute with HB3751 were the words “it was unlawful” and “not” and added Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and language those “legally authorized under federal law to work in the United States and authorized under federal law to obtain, carry, or purchase or otherwise possess a firearm.”
“I am tired of the right-wing twisting these things,” Pritzker said. “They put it out on Facebook. They tell lies. They attack based on those lies. They’re perpetuating lies so that there are people out there who think we’re just allowing anybody to become a police officer. That’s just not accurate.”
It is to be noted that California passed a similar law earlier this year. SB-960 was passed in January. It is unknown whether either bill is being challenged in court as of this writing.
Copyright © 2023 by Mark S. Schwendau
Mark S. Schwendau is a retired technology professor who has always had a sideline in news-editorial writing where his byline has been, “Bringing little known news to people who simply want to know the truth.” He is a Christian conservative who God cast to be a realist. His website is www.IDrawIWrite.Tech.