Danbury, Connecticut’s city council voted 18-2 to let certain non-citizens apply to become police officers, a move that comes on the heels of a week of federal immigration enforcement activity in the region.
The measure opens law enforcement positions to permanent legal residents and recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA. It does not extend to all non-citizens broadly, but rather aligns city policy with the state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Council, which eliminated its citizenship requirement in 2020 and expanded eligibility to DACA recipients in 2025.
The council’s decision followed a stretch of federal immigration operations across the area. Officials estimated that only six or seven of roughly 100 people arrested during the sweeps had criminal records, while school attendance dropped by about 700 students as families grew reluctant to leave their homes.
Democratic council member Joe Britton connected the timing of the vote to the raids, telling colleagues the ordinance sends a signal to immigrant residents. He said the measure is legal, allowed, and recommended, adding that its timing communicates that immigrants are welcome in the city.
Danbury’s Democratic mayor, Roberto Alves, who came to the country as a child without legal status, framed the ordinance as closing a gap in eligibility. He noted that individuals in these categories can already serve in the U.S. military, work as firefighters and paramedics, and become doctors and lawyers, yet were barred from applying to the city’s own police force.
Police Chief Patrick Ridenhour maintained that the department’s background checks, psychological evaluations, and training standards remain unchanged. He said the department’s screening process already eliminates roughly seven out of every eight applicants early on. Connecticut is home to nearly 3,000 DACA recipients, with an average age of 32.
Not all residents embraced the change. Some who spoke at the meeting raised concerns about the vetting process, firearm regulations, and the fact that DACA protections remain temporary under federal law.
Border czar Tom Homan defended the administration’s enforcement priorities, saying agents are focused on illegal aliens with final removal orders, visa overstays, and criminals.
