Pritzker Defends Immigrant Police Bill
Gov. JB Pritzker hugs a supporter at an event Monday at the University of Illinois at Chicago. (Photo: Chicago Tribune)
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Governor JB Pritzker responded Monday to complaints about a new law allowing certain immigrants to become police officers in Illinois.
Some conservatives, like Congresswoman Mary Miller (R-Oakland), criticized the bill, claiming it allowed illegal immigrants to become police officers.
“At 5pm [Friday], when no one was paying attention, Pritzker signed a bill to allow illegal immigrants to become police officers, giving non-citizens the power to arrest citizens in our state,” Miller tweeted. “No sane state would allow foreign nationals to arrest their citizens, this is madness!”
The law, which had Republican votes, allows permanent legal residents and DACA recipients to become cops, not illegal or undocumented immigrants.
An undocumented immigrant can’t get a permit to legally carry a gun, among other things, making them ineligible for police service.
“I am tired of the right wing twisting these things. They put it out on Facebook, they tell lies, they attack based upon those lies, they’re perpetuating lies,” Pritzker said. “There are people out there that think we’re just allowing anybody to become a police officer. That’s just not accurate.”