LAPD Working to Allow Non-Citizen DACA Officers to Carry Off Duty

Los Angeles Police Chief Michel Moore says his Department is taking the nationwide lead on a unique immigration challenge: allowing non-citizen DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) recipients who become sworn officers the ability to carry a firearm full-time.

On Tuesday, Moore said the Los Angeles Board of Police Commissioners "unanimously approved" the outline of a policy that would allow DACA recipients the capacity to carry a firearm off the job, which has been largely prohibited by law because DACA recipients are not United States citizens. 

LAPD told Fox News the proposed policy has not been finalized and could take weeks or months to become official.

The topic of DACA recipients working as police officers is complicated and raises many legal and safety questions, including whether a non-citizen should ever arrest a US citizen and what would happen if a DACA migrant suddenly loses their legal status.

"I don’t foresee them losing their status," Moore said, "What we see instead is a trend across the country going the other way, recognizing that DACA recipients otherwise are fully functional members of our society."