In a mind-blowing move, the city of Danbury, Connecticut will soon allow some noncitizens to become police officers, thanks to a vote taken by the city council (18-2) to open up law enforcement jobs for permanent legal residents and those who are recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, according to local news outlets.
The change applies to only those two lawful categories and is not open to all noncitizens. It also brings Danbury in line with the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council, which tossed out its citizenship rule six years ago and added DACA recipients in 2025. The vote took place just after a week of federal immigration sweeps across the area.
Officials estimated that only six or seven out of the roughly 100 people that were arrested during the sweep had criminal records, a local outlet reported. School attendance in the region dropped by almost 700 students as families became weary of leaving their homes, fearing they might end up detained and deported to their countries of origin.
According to a report from The Daily Caller, Democratic council member Joe Britton connected the timing of the vote to the raids and told colleagues the measure came with a stern message. “It’s legal. It’s allowed. It’s been recommended. … I do think it’s timely, and this vote sends a message to our immigrant community that you are welcome in Danbury,”
Democratic Mayor Roberto Alves, who came to the United States as a child without any sort of legal status, defended the new ordinance, calling it a fix for an eligibility gap. “These are people who can serve in the United States military, serve as firefighters and EMTs, become doctors, lawyers and other trusted professionals, yet under our old ordinance they could not even apply to become a Danbury police officer,” Alves said.
Chief of Police Patrick Ridenhour revealed that the department keeps its background checks, psychological evaluations, and training requirements intact. So those who are noncitizens will still have to go through rigorous training in order to perform well on the job. He also said that their screening process weeds out seven of every eight applicants in the preliminary stages.
Not everyone was thrilled by the change. Residents who attended the meeting to share their voices about the issue raised serious questions concerning the vetting process, firearm rules, and the temporary standing of DACA protection. President Donald Trump’s border czar, Tom Homan, stated that federal agents are targeting the right individuals.
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“We’re out there to look for illegal aliens with final orders of removal, those who overstay, those who are criminals, and we’re out there looking for them and arresting them,” Homan said during an interview with CNN’s State of the Union program. President Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration one of his highest priorities, having started raids to apprehend and deport folks who enter the country illegally not long after taking office.
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