In Minneapolis, Minnesota, a police officer who is not a U.S. citizen has been sworn in for the first time in the city, according to reports.
The Minnesota State Police Department reported that Leslie Vera, a native of Somalia, was sworn in Thursday as the department's first non-citizen police officer.
At the swearing-in ceremony, Bera, wearing a hijab on her head, was seen taking the oath of office and receiving her badge.
When Bella was four years old, she moved with her parents from their Mexican destination to Minneapolis. Although she is a legally resident alien and authorized to work, she is not a U.S. citizen.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara defended the idea of giving police powers to non-citizens.
“Some people may question that, but that's just nonsense. As I said, this country has a history of people joining the military and serving in the military as soon as they entered the country. Yes,” O’Hara said. said KSTP-TV. “The person I like [Officer Vera]She's been here essentially all her life, so she absolutely has the right to protect her community just like anyone else here, and we're honored to have her. ”
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“Our 23 new officers include the first Somali-American woman and first permanent resident to join the department. A police service that is visible to residents is one that can better serve residents. And I couldn't be more proud of the police department we're building under Chief O'Hara,” said Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey (D). said Friday on Facebook.
“It's moving. It's emotional. I mean, I talked about hope in the room, and from a personal standpoint as mayor, it gives me a lot of hope. Our police department… , increasingly resemble the communities we have a responsibility to protect and serve,” Frey added in an interview with KTSP.
Minneapolis' Somali immigrant community is the largest in the United States, and Minneapolis has been a target for Somali immigrants since the 1990s. Somalis have been drawn to the city for its generous welfare programs and the opportunity to live alongside their fellow expatriates, but the community has recently shook This is due to a large-scale fraud case in which tens of millions of dollars in Medicaid funds were stolen in connection with a fake charity organization called “Feeding Our Future” run by prominent local Somali residents.
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The door opened for Vera last year when he was hired by the Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission (POST). new rules This allowed state law enforcement agencies to promote noncitizens to become police officers. Citizenship requirements would be eliminated, and applicants would be given guns and badges just because they were legal residents and allowed to work in the United States.
Minnesota is not the only state that allows noncitizens to become police officers. california, coloradoand illinois The government is also working on enacting a bill that would give police powers to non-citizens.
In 2017, Minneapolis was rocked by Somali police officer Mohamed Noor's fatal shooting of an Australian woman responding to a 911 call. Officer Noor was ultimately convicted of third-degree murder and manslaughter, but the state Supreme Court later reversed the third-degree conviction. After all, Noor declared Sentenced to 57 months in prison for murdering a woman.
The city received widespread criticism on social media for the move. Elon Musk, the head of X, was shaken by the news that non-citizens were given the power to detain, arrest and imprison citizens.
Musk likened the situation to the fall of the Roman Empire, adding: “The Roman army has also become increasingly dependent on non-citizens.”
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