As Denver employees brace for budget cuts across the board including public safety, council members Jamie Torres and Amanda Sandoval are preparing to give out police and fire jobs to noncitizens.
Axios Denver reports the councilmembers are plotting to strike language from the city charter that prevents the agency from hiring noncitizens in the name of “diversity.”
Well duh. Obviously, there’s a shortage nationwide of noncitizens holding jobs in a country filed with (checks notes) citizens.
But now noncitizens are the new minority getting a leg up on America’s job market. At least in Denver.
From the report:
The intrigue: The citizen requirement is unique to those agencies due to language in the city’s law specifying applicants must be U.S. citizens.
Noncitizens, which includes green card holders, already hold jobs in other city agencies, obviously.
Who are noncitizens? We found this handy dandy guide from FEMA:
So yes, migrants arriving in Denver who have been granted asylum would be eligible to work on the police force and in the fire department.
Just to recap, the excessive cost of housing and feeding migrants is why Mayor Johnston announced last week the city would be making across the board cuts in all agencies.
It’s worth noting that Gov. Polis signed a law last year “allowing the state’s Peace Officers Standards and Training board to establish rules for people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status and asylum seekers to become certified peace officers or reserve officers.”
Colorado’s immigrants who came to the U.S. as children and have temporary legal status or those who have applied for asylum could soon work as armed police officers in the state.
Unions are still mulling this whole noncitizens as police and firefighters over before commenting.
Councilmembers plan to introduce their measure in April. Changing the city charter require Denver voters’ approval on a ballot measure, possibly as early as November.