Los Angeles looking to allow illegal immigrant police officers to be armed 24/7

Los Angeles Police Department’s oversight committee approved new guidelines allowing illegal immigrant police officers to be armed at all times.

In 2022, California passed a law allowing those authorized to work under President Barack Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals executive order for those who entered the country illegally as minors to become police officers. LAPD graduated its first DACA recipient earlier this year, and is set to graduate a class of nine DACA recipients in spring of 2024, thus making the question of whether or not DACA recipients should be able to carry their firearms off duty a matter of serious debate.

Under state and federal law, illegal immigrants are prohibited from having firearms. However, DACA recipients are allowed to carry firearms in the course of their law enforcement duties. The Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners unanimously approved a policy outline detailing how DACA recipients can carry their firearms off the job based on the fact that a police officer is effectively on-duty 24/7.

Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners "unanimously approved" the outline of a policy that would allow DACA recipients the capacity to carry a firearm off the job, which has been largely prohibited by law because DACA recipients are not United States citizens.

"We’ve worked closely with the Department of Justice at the state and federal level to express the fact that we desire to form a model policy that we think meets this moment and is the state of the law and provisions of immigration policy in the United States," said Chief of Police of Los Angeles Michael Moore to Fox News.

Until LAPD officially adopts a policy in full — and not just an outline — DACA recipients will not be able to carry their firearms off duty.

While California became the first state to pass a law seeking and securing federal approval to allow DACA recipients to become armed police officers, Colorado recently became the second, passing a similar bill in April 2023.