Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s veto of a bill that would have allowed young immigrants brought to the U.S. as children to become police officers was met with disappointment from Prince William County Police Chief Peter Newsham, who pushed for the measure and went to Richmond to support it.
“We are very disappointed that a county resident and county employee who considers the United States her home will not be able to pursue her lifelong dream of serving her community as a Prince William County police officer,” Newsham said in a statement.
Newsham was referring to Jemny Marquinez, a Prince William County resident who was brought to the U.S. from El Salvador when she was just 3 years old. Now an adult, Marquinez has since sought and received status under the “Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals” program, which allows her to work in the U.S. and get a driver’s license, among other privileges.
But as a DACA “dreamer,” Marquinez can’t become a police officer — something she said she has hoped for since taking part in the department’s “Santa Cops” charity event when she was 12.
Marquinez earned a bachelor’s degree in criminology from George Mason University and now works in an administrative position for the Prince William County Police Department.
Marquinez spoke during a state Senate committee hearing to advocate for the bill, which Sen. Jeremy McPike, D-29th, patroned at Newsham’s request. Newsham told state lawmakers that changing the law would help the department fill its more than 50 vacancies and diversify its officer corps to better reflect Prince William County's diverse community.
McPike, who grew up in Prince William County and has served for many years as a volunteer firefighter, has said he strongly believes DACA recipients should be allowed to serve in law enforcement.
“It’s frankly unfair to see a governor squash some kids’ dreams who have worked really hard,” McPike said in a March 22 interview. “They love the county, they love Virginia, they love the country, and they want to serve and give back. So, it’s disappointing to see.”
In his veto statement, Youngkin referred to a process already in place in which the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services can offer waivers to noncitizens who are permanent residents to serve as law enforcement officers on a case-by-case basis.
Youngkin wrote that McPike’s bill “would run counter to this appropriate working practice by allowing non-citizens who are not permanent residents, and are not eligible to become citizens, to be certified as law enforcement officers.”
But McPike said the waiver process doesn’t work for DACA recipients because there is a legal disconnect between federal and state law regarding whether non-citizens can legally carry firearms in Virginia.
Youngkin “cited the waiver section, and, frankly, (Marquinez) already applied for a waiver and was denied for technicalities of whether or not she could have a firearm,” McPike said.
McPike said he sought clarification from the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which said that DACA recipients can be police officers and can carry firearms in accordance with their duties.
“There’s a whole list of things we went through and got clarified from the federal government, so literally every hurdle they’ve thrown in our way, we’ve knocked down,” McPike said. “And this is the last one now with the veto.”
McPike’s bill passed on a narrow vote, which means it’s unlikely to win the two-thirds majority vote necessary to override Youngkin’s veto.
But McPike said he remains undeterred. “We’re going to keep on at it. I’m not going to give up — whether it’s next year or a slightly different approach.”
“But Youngkin’s only got a little more than a year left,” he added. “He’ll be gone soon enough as well.”
Reach Cher Muzyk at cmuzyk@fauquier.com
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.