Seattle has become the latest Democratic-led city to try to replace the exodus of police officers with illegal immigrants.
Washington’s largest city has just 913 police officers to serve its 750,000 residents, after losing 725 officers in the past five years.
Now police have changed the rules to allow applications from migrants who crossed the border illegally as children and are registered in the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), or ‘Dreamers’, program.
And a change signed by Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee in February allows them to be chosen over an equally qualified candidate if they speak more than one language.
“So every person who shows up for a job interview has to admit to a crime,” one retired officer wrote on
Washington State Governor Jay Inslee signed legislation in March that removes the last legal hurdle for former illegal child migrants seeking to join the state’s police forces
The department now has just 913 officers to serve its 750,000 people, after losing 725 officers in the past five years, according to a KUOW survey in April
More than 500,000 people in the US registered under the Obama-era DACA program before it was repealed by Donald Trump in 2017.
Although they are allowed to work in the US under a two-year renewable work permit, restrictions on carrying firearms had previously excluded them from police work.
But last year, the Justice Department stated in a memo that “DACA recipients may possess service firearms and ammunition as part of their official duties as a law enforcement officer.”
The Seattle Police Department previously limited applications to those who “have U.S. citizenship, OR legal permanent residency in the U.S.,” but updated its LinkedIn page last week.
“The Seattle Police Department is now accepting applications from DACA recipients,” it said.
Overall crime in the city increased by eight percent between 2019 and 2024, with burglaries increasing by 12 percent, assaults by 21 percent and murders by a whopping 78 percent.
On May 29, Police Chief Adrian Diaz became the latest to leave the department amid allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination.
It came months after the retired officer issued a scathing resignation letter accusing him of “failed leadership” that “accelerated this city’s descent straight to the bottom.”
Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz resigned last month amid allegations of sexual harassment and racial discrimination
Lt. Jessica Taylor, who served on the Seattle Police Department for 23 years, has resigned, but instead of completing a mandatory exit survey, she decided to write a long-winded letter addressed to the police chief.
“Your controlling, bullying and gaslighting tendencies have wreaked havoc on this department, driving away talented and dedicated officers,” Lt. Jessica Taylor wrote when she left after 23 years.
“People are getting hurt and killed in this city, left and right,” she added.
“I bet most Seattleites would love to be able to walk outside at night or explore downtown Seattle without fear.
There are approximately 500,000 people registered for the DACA program introduced by then-President Barack Obama in 2012
“But they can’t, and that’s your fault. You failed them. You failed us.’
Four female officers filed a $5 million claim against the department in April for “grooming,” “active sexism” and “predatory behavior,” with Diaz among the claims.
Even more drama enveloped the department Monday night when he came out as “a gay Latino man” in an interview with a local radio station.
“I want to make sure people understand who I am,” he told KTTH 770 AM.
‘It is not easy when false accusations are made against you. I don’t want to have any secrets if I decide to go to another city.’
Joe Biden pledged last week to ease access to work visas for DACA recipients who have earned a degree from a U.S. college or university and secured a highly skilled job, and he urged Congress to grant them permanent status.
“Give me a break,” he said at a meeting of Spanish power brokers in the White Houe Rose Garden.
“These have been model citizens. Congress must act.
“We are a nation of immigrants and we must not forget that.”
DACA program recipient Mitchell Soto Rodriguez testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month after joining the Blue Island Police Department on Chicago’s South Side
Joe Biden last week pledged to ease access to a work visa for DACA recipients who have earned a degree from a U.S. college or university and secured a highly skilled job, as he urged Congress to grant them permanent status
Seattle isn’t the first city to consider migrants from the DACA program as police officers after Illinois, Colorado and California passed laws allowing them to apply for law enforcement jobs.
Ernesto Antonio Moron Uribe, 26, became an officer of the California Police Department from UC Davis in February, and Mitchell Soto Rodriguez testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee last month after joining the Blue Island Police Department on Chicago’s south side.
She arrived from Mexico in 2005 as an eight-year-old and was inspired to become a police officer after witnessing the compassionate approach of an officer who helped her after a car accident.
“Even if it seems difficult or impossible, never give up,” she said as she was sworn in. One day it will come to you. Keep fighting for it.
‘When a door closes, keep knocking. Keep knocking. It opens.’