Denver voters will likely be asked to remove the citizenship requirement for police officers and firefighters this November.
The Denver City Council is moving forward with a proposal that would allow noncitizens, including Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipients, to serve in those roles.
DACA recipients are people who were brought to the United States as children and are protected from deportation. According to the U.S. Department of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), there are more than 530,000 DACA recipients in the U.S.
Currently, under the city’s charter, only U.S. citizens can serve as Denver police officers and firefighters.
Denver City CouncilDenver City Council President Jamie Torres first spoke with Denver7 about the proposal in February. Torres, who is sponsoring the proposal along with Denver City Council President Pro Tem Amanda Sandoval, said it could help the police and fire departments find more qualified applicants.