Brandon Richard is a reporter for Denver7 in Denver, Colorado.
DENVER — Denver voters will likely be asked to remove the citizenship requirement for police officers and firefighters this November.
Currently, under the city’s charter, only U.S. citizens can serve as Denver police officers and firefighters. Torres reiterated that the proposal would not allow immigrants who've recently arrived to serve as police officers. While allowing noncitizens to serve as police officers and firefighters would be new to Denver, it’s already something other cities in Colorado allow. Aurora and Boulder have allowed legal permanent residents to serve for several years now. But until recently, DACA recipients, who are authorized to work in the U.S., were not allowed to serve as police officers because they were not legally allowed to carry firearms.
Wilson said he pushed for the passage of House Bill 23-1143 to help one of his community service officers, Jesus Olivas.However, because Olivas is a DACA recipient, he could not legally carry a firearm and, therefore, could not serve as a police officer in Colorado. “I believed he was just a very valuable asset and I wanted to see him get an opportunity to fulfill his dream of being a police officer,” said Wilson.“Since I was young, it has always been my dream to someday become a police officer. I was brought to the United States as a child by my family, and I'm proud to call the United States of America my home,” he said.
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