As The Right Scoop put it this weekend, Democrats in the state of Illinois have officially “gone bonkers.” Thanks to a law signed by the state’s Democratic governor, noncitizens are now eligible to become police officers if they are in the country legally. So now we’re not just allowing them into the country unimpeded, we’re inviting them to take charge. It’s almost as if they’re daring us to take to the streets and fight back. Here are more of the details from The Blaze.

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker – a Democrat – signed a bill into law on Friday that would allow non-U.S. citizens to become police officers. Opponents of the bill argue that it would be “madness” to allow foreign nationals to arrest American citizens…

The bill: “Provides that an individual who is not a citizen but is legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law is authorized to apply for the position of police officer, subject to all requirements and limitations, other than citizenship, to which other applicants are subject.”

According to WTVO, “Illinois’ move would allow any immigrant with legal authorization to work, or who remains in the country under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Act, to apply for the position.”

Ron DeSantis was quick to respond.

To the Left, citizenship is meaningless. Illinois is now letting illegal aliens become police officers.

In Florida, we took action to combat the harms of Biden’s border crisis. We also value our citizen officers who serve and protect our communities.

As President, I will…

— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) July 30, 2023

The title of the linked article is a bit misleading because it refers to “illegals.” DeSantis seems to have picked up on the same lack of distinction. The word suggests that any of the millions of migrants streaming across the borders without permission could show up in Illinois and be handed a badge. That’s actually not the case. The law applies to immigrants who are in the country legally and have authorization to seek employment.

That’s not nearly as bad as pinning a badge on someone who swam across the Rio Grande and just strolled in, but it’s still rather dubious. First of all, it would have to depend on their actual status. Anyone who is legally in the country but is using a non-immigrant visa can’t even apply for a gun permit. If they have an immigrant visa then they are allowed to work and can also legally own a firearm.

But this is about more than just the legality of allowing them to carry a weapon. We’re talking about the police who are entrusted with the responsibility to uphold and enforce the law. In that regard, DeSantis is still making a valid point. Do we really want noncitizens arresting citizens? I have no objection to people who follow the rules and immigrate to the United States holding jobs and earning a living. In fact, I strongly encourage it. But being a police officer isn’t just “a job.” It’s something special.

Handing someone a police badge immediately confers upon them certain assumptions and powers that go beyond those of even natural-born citizens. In any public setting, they can show up and issue directives that people are expected to follow if the orders are lawful. With a warrant, they can even enter your home without your permission. (Not even the military can do that.) We should not expect our citizens to surrender that level of control to noncitizens and certainly not illegal aliens, though that’s not what’s happening in Illinois… yet.

We place other employment limitations on noncitizens and that fact is enshrined in the Constitution. We don’t allow immigrants to run for Congress until they’ve been a citizen for seven years. It’s nine years if they want to run for the Senate. The point is, we don’t put noncitizens in charge of citizens. They don’t get to make our laws and by that logic, they shouldn’t be allowed to enforce those laws either. They should be focused on obeying our laws themselves and demonstrating that they are ready for and deserving of naturalization. Illinois needs to rethink this and withdraw that law from the books.