Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed a invoice final week that will allow for non-U.S. residents to apply to become police officers, and on Monday he defended the laws towards critics.

During a press convention the place he spoke about laws defending reproductive rights within the state, Pritzker emphasised that the invoice could be restricted to people who’re legally allowed to work within the United States, and who’re legally allowed to possess firearms.

“We have the ability for people who are legally here in this country, and permanent residents and DACA residents, to apply for jobs as police officers,” he mentioned.

HB 3751 was handed by each chambers of the General Assembly earlier this yr. The invoice’s language says that “individuals who are not citizens, but are legally authorized to work in the United States under federal law” will be allowed to apply for jobs with police departments starting on Jan. 1, 2024.

The invoice can be producing backlash. Reps. Mary Miller and Lauren Boebert had been amongst Republicans to condemn the invoice, arguing that the laws would allow people who entered the U.S. illegally to apply for positions.

Former Chicago mayoral candidate Willie Wilson additionally opposed the invoice, arguing that it “defies common sense that non-citizens should be arresting and detaining legal citizens.”

Pritzker fired again at these criticisms, saying that it’s a misrepresentation of the laws’s language.

“I am tired of the right wing twisting things,” he mentioned. “They put it on Facebook, they tell lies. There are people out there that think we’re just allowing anybody to become a police officer. That’s just not accurate.”

The governor additionally cited different states, together with California, which have related laws on the books, and identified that 1000’s of authorized everlasting residents and DACA recipients are already serving within the United States army.

Representatives of each the Illinois Municipal League and the Chicago FOP Lodge #7 filed witness slips in help of the laws, whereas the Illinois Association of Chiefs of Police initially opposed the measure however later amended their stance to impartial, in accordance to MyStateLine.

*editor’s notice: The authentic model of this story indicated the IACP was opposed to the measure however didn’t embrace the clarification that that they had modified their stance.