Danbury's Democrat-controlled city council voted 18-2 to let lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients serve as police officers, a direct rebuke of federal ICE enforcement that has netted more than 60 arrests in the city.
Days after federal immigration agents wrapped up a major enforcement operation in Danbury, Connecticut, the city's Democrat-dominated council voted nearly unanimously to allow non-citizen legal residents and DACA recipients to serve as police officers. The 18-2 vote is the latest escalation in the growing standoff between sanctuary-friendly local governments and the Trump administration's border enforcement push.
The decision rewrites Danbury Police Department hiring rules just weeks after ICE operations in the area resulted in more than 60 arrests, most of them illegal aliens with final orders of removal or criminal histories, according to federal enforcement officials. City leaders made no secret that the vote was aimed squarely at Washington.
Council member Joe Britton, a Democrat who championed the measure, framed the vote as a message to both the immigrant community and federal agents. What we have here is an opportunity, Britton said before the vote, adding that the timing at the end of a federal invasion of immigration officials in Danbury was no accident.
This vote sends a message to our immigrant community that you are welcome in Danbury, he said. There is no reason to vote against this, and if you do vote against this, I truly question your moral compass.
Britton, a military veteran, brushed aside concerns about putting non-citizens in positions of authority. In the Army, I learned quickly your background doesn't matter when you put on the uniform. Same team. Same mission, he said. He insisted the change does not lower hiring standards, noting every applicant must still clear the same training, background, character and certification requirements as any other officer.
The measure passed with the support of all 17 Democrats on the council plus one Republican. The two Republicans who voted against it were left to object as their colleagues celebrated what one Democrat called a win for the immigrant community.
Under the new ordinance, lawful permanent residents and Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients living in Danbury can apply to join the police force. City officials note the eligibility standard follows a 2020 decision by Connecticut's Police Officer Standards and Training Council, which partially waived the citizenship requirement for law enforcement candidates statewide, and they say more than 30 municipalities in the state already operate under similar rules.
Danbury's Democratic mayor, Roberto Alves, threw his full support behind the change. Alves, who has said he was in the country illegally himself before gaining legal status, has been one of ICE's loudest critics since the enforcement operation began, claiming agents turned local businesses into a ghost town and left parents afraid to send their children to school.
The Danbury vote follows weeks of coordinated Democratic opposition to federal immigration enforcement in Connecticut. Late last month, Alves joined Governor Ned Lamont, Congresswoman Jahana Hayes and Senator Chris Murphy at a rally condemning ICE operations, with Murphy accusing agents of terrorizing children and calling for a halt to the arrests.
ICE's enforcement push in the area is part of the broader border security campaign the Trump administration launched after taking office, targeting illegal aliens with final orders of removal, known gang members and convicted criminals living in sanctuary jurisdictions. Federal officials say the Danbury operation was focused on public safety threats, not routine immigration enforcement.
Border czar Tom Homan has dismissed the criticism from Connecticut Democrats as political theater. We are out there to look for illegal aliens with final orders of removal, those who overstay, those who are criminals, and we are out there looking for them and arresting them, Homan said in a recent interview. ICE has no intention of terrorizing children. That is just a political statement to enrage the American people.
Homan has repeatedly warned that cities and states refusing to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement will face consequences, including funding reviews and enhanced enforcement operations. The Danbury vote, which effectively invites non-citizens into one of the most sensitive roles in local government, is likely to draw renewed scrutiny from Washington.
The ordinance takes effect immediately, and city officials say the police department will begin accepting applications from qualified non-citizen residents once the hiring process is updated. Whether any non-citizen applicants ultimately make it through the academy remains to be seen.
The bigger question is how the federal government responds. With ICE operations continuing across the country and the administration pressing sanctuary jurisdictions to cooperate, Danbury has positioned itself as a test case for how far local governments will go to defy federal immigration law. If the city follows through, the fight over who gets to wear the badge is only beginning.
Danbury's Democrat-controlled city council voted 18-2 to let lawful permanent residents and DACA recipients serve as police officers, a direct rebuke of federal ICE enforcement that has netted more than 60 arrests in the city.
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