The right to protect and serve as members of Virginia law enforcement will be extended to illegal immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children by their parents, according to a recently passed state bill.
SB 69 waives the citizenship requirement for law enforcement officers and allows individuals who have been granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status to serve as police officers.
DACA was passed under former President Barack Obama and allows people between the ages of 15 and 41 who were brought or came to the U.S. illegally before 2007 and before the age of 16 to stay, without granting them citizenship.
SB 69 narrowly passed the Virginia House of Delegates on Wednesday in a 53-47 vote after passing in the state Senate last month.
State Sen. Jeremy McPike, a Democrat, was one of the bill's sponsors and shared stories from his district of young people, covered by DACA, who grew up wanting to work in law enforcement, according to the Washington Examiner. One young woman's dream of being a member of the police force reportedly grew out of seeing an officer hand out toys at her elementary school.
"From that point, she pursued and gained a higher education degree in criminal justice, only to get to the point where she has passed criminal background checks and is moving through the process and applied through waivers to become a police officer, only to be denied her dream," McPike said, according to the Examiner.
According to 2020 U.S. Census data, Prince William County, part of the district McPike represents, is the most diverse county in Virginia and the 10th most diverse in the nation. The county has struggled to retain law enforcement personnel since 2020 and has seen a rise in crime in recent years.
Prince William Chief of Police Pete Newsham, who supports the legislation, told the Examiner that the county saw a 40% drop in the number of applicants after the death of George Floyd, which sparked a wave of violent civil unrest.
With the applicant pool diminished, the police departments of Prince William, Arlington and Fairfax counties, as well Alexandria and Washington, D.C., have developed incentives to attract new talent.
Prince William's police department is currently offering a $10,000 signing bonus and starting salaries of $62,000, according to the department's website.
"There are many DACA recipients and potential police recruit candidates who meet and exceed the hiring qualifications and possess the necessary skills and abilities to serve as the next generation of police officers," Newsham said. "Their only barrier to being hired is their citizenship status.
"I truly believe this bill is in the best interests of our community, police departments and the many members of our community who possess a strong spirit of citizenship and deep commitment to public service."
Del. Tom Garrett, a Republican, denounced the bill in a floor speech Wednesday.
"The basic, overarching point here is that we — regardless of party affiliation — should be standing united against a federal government that has created this problem by virtue of an unwillingness to address its very own failed federal government policies," Garrett said, according to the Examiner.
"Regardless of how we feel about hardworking residents of the commonwealth, one of our actual responsibilities is to demand the federal government do its job, and you can't do that and support this legislation."