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Digital Originals Published August 2, 2023 4:30pm EDT

Non-citizens enforcing US laws will

create problems, says Illinois sheriff:
‘Become a citizen, and then apply’
Illinois sheriff says 'there's a problem' with foreign nationals swearing an oath to the Constitution of a country they
aren't a citizen of

By Teny Sahakian | Fox News

Non-citizens enforcing US laws will create problems, says Illinois sheriff: ‘Become a citizen, and then apply’
Illinois Sheriff Jeff Bullard said the new law allowing non-citizens to police Americans in Illinois will lower police standards and have "unintended
consequences."

Allowing non-citizens to police Americans in Illinois will lower law enforcement standards
and have "unintended consequences," a sheriff in the southern part of the state said.

"Ifan immigrant wants to be a peace officer in this country, then go through the
naturalization process, become a citizen, and then apply," Jefferson County Sheriff Jeff
Bullard told Fox News. "That way we know they've been properly vetted."

"We know that they stand up to the character test to be a U.S. citizen," he continued. "We
can be comfortable to put them in with all other candidates that want to be a peace
officer."

SHERIFF OPPOSED TO HIRING NON-

AS OFFICERS:

WATCH MORE FOX NEWS DIGITAL ORIGINALS HERE

Gov. J. B. Pritzker on Friday signed into law a bill allowing non-U.S. citizens in Illinois to
become police officers. The measure, which goes into effect on Jan. 1, states 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 officers." The bill also
includes Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients in the group of non-
eligible to become police officers.

"Being a peace officer in Illinois or any other state is one of the most trusted positions in
government that our citizens have because a peace officer can not only infringe upon
constitutional rights while investigating a crime or enforcing laws," Bullard said. "The
citizens give us the authority to do that."

"They also grant us the authority to possibly take a life when circumstances warrant it's
needed to save a life," he added. "That's a huge responsibility and a very trusted position."

Those significant responsibilities mean "we have to be very careful when vetting
candidates," according to the sheriff.

Federal law forbids non-U.S. citizens to serve as police officers and deputies.

CHICAGO ALDERMAN SAYS CRIME HAS 'TAKEN OVER' CITY: 'WE'RE THE LAND OF THE
LOST'

The new Illinois law states that non-U.S. citizens are subject "to all requirements and
limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject" and must
be legally allowed to possess firearms.

Bullard said he doesn’t think the requirements in the bill are thorough enough to maintain
the current standards when hiring officers .

Critics of the new Illinois law allowing foreign nationals to become police officers take issue with the idea of non-citizens
arresting Americans. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service)

a case of putting the cart before the horse," he said. "If the government would come
" It's

up with a proper vetting procedure for a peace officer before introducing something like
this, where we could be 100% certain, just like we are in a background of a naturalized
citizen, then it would be something that we would be more comfortable with."

ILLINOIS CASH BAIL ELIMINATION BUILT ON ‘OVERDRAMATIZATION’ PERPETRATED BY

CITY LEADERS: FORMER POLICE CHIEF

"But just a temporary work visa, we don't believe that goes far enough," he added.

Rep. Barbara Hernandez, who sponsored the bill, defended the measure as a "natural
progression" of the 2021 federal decision to allow some undocumented immigrants to
work as healthcare workers and military members. When introducing the bill in May, the
Democrat said she hopes "to not only help DACA recipients but also help the police
departments that are currently going through a lot of shortage with … either COVID or
retirement."

Opponents, however, criticized the idea of non-citizens arresting Americans.

"You're having a non-citizen swear an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of a
state and a country that they're not a citizen of," Bullard told Fox News. "There's a problem
with that."

Earlier this year, Illinois implemented sweeping criminal justice reforms passed in the
Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today (SAFE-T) Act, which included eliminating
cash bail preventing police from arresting non-violent trespassers and limiting when
,

defendants can be deemed flight risks.

Bullard said that over the three decades he's served in law enforcement, he's watched the
state continually push for "less and less criminal accountability and consequences for
offenders who commit crimes in our state."

"Ithink that our state government, because of politics, is ignoring sound systems we
already have in place," he added. "They're also ignoring the experts in the field who are
advising them that there are potential problems with their reform ideas. "

Teny Sahakian is an Associate Producer/Writer for Fox News. Follow Teny on Twitter at
@tenysahakian.

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