Minneapolis appoints for the first time a female police officer who is not a U.S. citizen

The Minneapolis Police Department has, as of this week, its first police officer who does not hold U.S. citizenship. She is Lesly Vera, a young woman of Mexican origin who arrived in the country when she was barely four years old. Since then, Vera has been a permanent resident of the United States under DACA.

The city of Minneapolis, with Democratic leadership, has promoted a policy of tolerance and plurality in the police force. At Lesly Vera's appointment ceremony she was also sworn in as an officer, the first Somali-American woman in the Department.

It was that same Democratic leadership that changed the city's rules so that an individual without U.S. citizenship could join the Police Department. At the federal level, there are no requirements regarding citizenship for access to local police forces.

There are federal restrictions on the possession of firearms and ammunition by illegal immigrants or permanent residents who entered the United States as minors. Some cities such as Los Angeles have already modified their regulations and requested changes in federal legislation to allow their police officers who do not have citizenship to carry their weapons even after hours.

Faced with this appointment, controversial to some, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara has defended the new members of the department as individuals fit to perform their duties and functions. “There may be people who question it, but that’s completely ridiculous. There’s, like I mentioned, there is a history in this country of people immediately on arrival to the country, enlisting in the military and serving,” O'Hara told local media.

“Somebody like [Officer Vera], who has been here essentially her entire life, absolutely is entitled to protect her community in the same way that anyone else here has, and we’re honored to have her,” the Police Department chief added.