There is currently a heated debate in New Bedford over whether police officers should be required to be U.S. citizens.
The controversy was sparked by the recent hiring of Patrolman Edwin Yat Toj, a 25-year-old legal permanent resident (green card holder) who is the city’s first officer of Mayan descent and the first fluent in K’iche’, a Mayan language spoken by many local residents. Toj also speaks English and Spanish and is pursuing U.S. citizenship.
The issue which led to motions in the City Council had some councilors arguing that carrying a badge and enforcing laws should require U.S. citizenship, while others see it as a distraction from more pressing issues…