Illegal Immigrant becomes officer of the law (employment, drugs, marijuana)

[All American NYC]

He was what has been called an illegal alien – a term he hates because it makes him feel like he landed here from Mars – and a police officer could end his American dream.....Today, at 42, he has become the man he feared, a rare law enforcement officer who spent more than a decade hiding from the law.....Santa Cruz police are extremely choosy about hiring. They won't hire an officer who has smoked marijuana or done other drugs within years, but they hired one they knew broke the law.

Can illegals be a police officers? How?


I would have posted this in the illegal immigration section but was concerned about the political debate & controversy of the subject.

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by All American NYC

Can illegals be a police officers? How?


I would have posted this in the illegal immigration section but was concerned about the political debate & controversy of the subject.

He's a freaking U.S. citizen!

Don't you read your own source material????

I would think that the headline would have been a dead give away.

Once Undocumented, Now a Lawman: Santa Cruz Police Officer Blazes a Rare Trail

or the last paragraph!

"Of course Miguel's entry into the country was concerning," says Deputy Chief Clark. "But he eventually corrected that and became a citizen. Anyone who would question Miguel's commitment to this country or the law obviously doesn't know Miguel. We are proud to have him as an officer in our department."

Entering the U.S. illegally is not a criminal offense, and even if it were, most departments don't dwell on juvenile offenses committed decades before offering employment to an applicant.

[Lucario]

The man was a U.S. Citizen when he applied for the academy and when he was named a police officer in Santa Cruz. So what's the problem?

[pch1013]

Originally Posted by Lucario

The man was a U.S. Citizen when he applied for the academy and when he was named a police officer in Santa Cruz. So what's the problem?

More than that, he PUT HIMSELF through the academy instead of having a PD sponsor him. Now that's impressive.

[ovcatto]

Originally Posted by Lucario

The man was a U.S. Citizen when he applied for the academy and when he was named a police officer in Santa Cruz. So what's the problem?

Originally Posted by pch1013

More than that, he PUT HIMSELF through the academy instead of having a PD sponsor him. Now that's impressive.

Can we declare this thread DOA?

[DewDropInn]

Originally Posted by ovcatto

Can we declare this thread DOA?

Not until it's pointed out that this is an immigrant who assimilated.

[Fuselage]

Par for the course for many people - read headline, make sweeping assumptions, be outraged, marginalize an individual, extrapolate to an entire demographic, condemn, demand changes to the law, continue downward spiral into idiocy.

[Harrier]

Originally Posted by Lucario

The man was a U.S. Citizen when he applied for the academy and when he was named a police officer in Santa Cruz. So what's the problem?

He has a criminal past.

He was an illegal immigrant.

[Fuselage]

Originally Posted by Harrier

He has a criminal past.

He was an illegal immigrant.

Who became a US citizen via US laws...

[Harrier]

Originally Posted by Fuselage

Who became a US citizen via US laws...

Yes - but he broke the law in the past.

That is a red flag.