Indianapolis – September 30, 2024. The National Police Association stands behind the Citizen-Only Police Act of 2024 (H.R. 9397), a federal bill that would prohibit law enforcement agencies that employ aliens from receiving Federal funds. This bill, also referred to as the COP Act of 2024, was introduced by Rep. Kat Commack (FL-3) and has been referred to the Judiciary Committee. The bill’s text can be found here.
Most of the nation’s law enforcement agencies currently require their police hires to be U.S. citizens. However, some states including North Dakota and Washington, allow lawful permanent residents (green card holders) to apply.
The Citizen-Only Police Act was created in response to the growing number of states that have passed -or are considering- bills that extend beyond these parameters. Colorado and Illinois, for example, now permit Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients to apply as police officers. DACA is a program in which eligible youth who arrived in the U.S. illegally are granted temporary amnesty from deportation. Although DACA recipients are federally prohibited from owning firearms, states have enacted laws to accommodate them.
In addition to allowing DACA recipients to apply to become officers, a newer California law permits illegal immigrants who have been granted temporary asylum or “paroled” by the Department of Homeland Security. This poses a potential security risk. Immigrants aren’t always properly screened, so reports on any criminal activity from their countries of origin may not be available. It may also be difficult to determine whether they are linked to cartels that helped them access our borders.
Allowing illegal immigrants to become police officers subverts our laws and immigration system. It signals that illegal acts will be arbitrarily tolerated based on current political or societal factors. This gives people less confidence in our justice system.
“State bills that extend hiring to non-citizens are being presented as a solution to severe police staffing shortages,” said Paula Fitzsimmons, Legislative Director of, the National Police Association. “Legislators should instead resolve the factors prompting thousands of qualified men and woman of all demographics to leave law enforcement or not consider it as a profession,” she added.
As violent offenders are released onto our streets, decorated police officers are increasingly being wrongfully indicted for using justified force. Legislators attempt to limit or eradicate officers’ qualified immunity protections. Some municipalities ban foot chases, create civilian review boards comprised largely of police opponents, or create other harmful policies that stifle officers’ ability to perform. As officers are being shot and killed and attacked in record numbers (the FBI found that assaults on police officers reached a 10-year high in 2023), elected officials, news media, and leaders largely remain silent.
These factors have caused dedicated men and women to conclude that policing is no longer worth the risks. Working to mitigate these risks would better serve police officers and promote public safety (both in the long- and short-term) than hiring non-citizens to police Americans in America.
We thank Rep. Commack for introducing this necessary bill, and we urge other members of Congress to join her as co-sponsors.
About the National Police Association: The National Police Association (NPA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting law enforcement efforts through advocacy, education, and the promotion of public safety. For more information visit NationalPolice.org
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