Seattle, WA
Seattle Police recruiting DACA recipients to be cops
Faced with an unprecedented shortage of officers, the Seattle Police Department (SPD) is actively recruiting recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival Status (DACA) to become cops. It’s possible thanks to bipartisan legislation that went into effect on June 6.
Senate Bill 6157 allows DACA recipients to apply for civil service jobs across Washington State. These include police officer, firefighter and sheriff’s deputies. Prior to the legislation, they were prohibited from holding these positions.
The bill is getting renewed scrutiny after a LinkedIn job application post from the SPD for DACA recipients started receiving attention. The ad explains the SPD “is now accepting applications from DACA recipients! Apply Now!”
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Is it constitutional to hire DACA recipients for police jobs?
Seattle is not alone in hiring DACA recipients for police positions. Earlier in the year, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) made the same move. They even altered its written firearms policy to allow DACA cops to carry a firearm while off-duty.
With new guidance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), DACA recipients are allowed to carry firearms and ammunition if it’s part of official law enforcement officer duties. But any local agency hiring DACA recipients must reform their gun policies to make it clear that their DACA employees can carry firearms.
But the changes in policy and guidance leave open questions as to the constitutionality of the decision. Guidance from ATF isn’t forever binding, and it won’t change how a court uses the Gun Control Act should this legislation face challenges. The whole concept is also subject to changes with any new administration. And it’s contingent on DACA protections remaining in place.
With potential uncertainty, it could put DACA cops and their agencies in difficult and costly positions. Will a DACA recipient want to become a cop if their ability to carry a firearm is contingent on an agency not changing policy? It’s obviously not worth the resources to train if the policy suddenly changes under a new administration or via the courts.
Is it right for DACA recipients to become law enforcement?
There’s nothing inherently controversial about the decision to hire DACA recipients as police officers.
DACA recipients are allowed to work in the United States, though they do so under a renewable two-year work permit.
There’s also a need for new officers. Thanks to an alarming staffing crisis hitting departments like the SPD, agencies could use as many qualified applicants as possible. Based on the latest Seattle police staffing data available, only 424 patrol officers were in the department. Across all positions, there are 280 eligible for retirement this year. They need bodies to patrol the streets.
It’s true, however, to note the irony.
DACA recipients are in this country illegally and they’d be tasked with enforcing laws. But DACA recipients were brought to this country illegally through no action of their own. Even though a teen from 13-15 years old would have known what they were doing is illegal, it’s not a reasonable position to fault a child for following their parents into this country.
But the legislation has the potential problem of treating legal citizens unjustly.
Extra points for DACA recipients at the Seattle Police Department?
The City of Seattle has struggled with recruiting beyond dealing with the catastrophic defund movement, which demonized officers and scared off new recruits. But the Mayor’s Office hasn’t made recovery easy.
Under this new law, applicants may earn extra points for being fluent as a “native speaker” in a language (or languages) other than English. This gives an advantage to a DACA recipient that progressive hiring managers and agencies may use to reject an American citizen.
It would be unwise to offer this kind of preferential treatment when staffing is so dire. But it’s not hard to imagine how this could be used once staffing course-corrects. In fact, the Seattle Mayor’s Office has already shown an interest in socially engineering the SPD.
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City of Seattle looked to hire fewer white men, military veterans
Under strategist Ben Dalgetty from the Mayor’s Office, recruitment has struggled. Rather than seek applicants who are qualified, Dalgetty and other mayoral staff have sought a more diverse-looking department. But that means an SPD free from too many white men or military veterans.
In a March 2023 memo to SPD human resources staff titled “SPD Marketing More and Less,” Dalgetty asked for “less” images and videos of “officers who are white, male,” and “officers with military bearing.” In their place, Dalgetty asked for more “officers of color,” “officers of different genders,” and “officers who are younger.” And rather than reach as many possible applicants as possible, the strategy was to hyper-target black, Hispanic and Asian Seattleites with early marketing efforts.
After complaints from SPD, Dalgetty edited the memo several times. Moreover, the original memo was destroyed and not initially turned over via a public disclosure request by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.
Still, it’s reasonable policy
Despite the easy way to abuse this law, the policy itself is advantageous. It’s why all but one Republican in the Senate supported the bill.
Though it was adopted in a clearly unconstitutional way, it seems likely that DACA recipients are here to stay. If they’re interested in helping protect our communities, how can their employment be problematic? They’d still be subject to the other qualifications to become an officer or deputy. And they’d still be required to go through the same training.
The media (and the public) must ensure DACA recipients aren’t offered special treatment as a result of their status. If that happens, we should demand reforms. But short of abuse, that a DACA recipient wants to become a cop is something that should be celebrated.
This isn’t someone knowingly coming to this country illegally, jumping the line ahead of people who are waiting to be eligible the legal way. These are people who are trying to make good on illegal actions taken by their parents or guardians by giving back to the community.
Listen to “The Jason Rantz Show” on weekday afternoons from 3-6 p.m. on KTTH 770 AM (HD Radio 97.3 FM HD-Channel 3). Subscribe to the podcast here. Follow Jason on X, formerly known as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
SEATTLE – Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington. Eastern and central Washington will reach near 100F with high fire danger. The coast and north interior will be cooler, only in the 60s to 70s.
Wednesday will be another warm day with highs in the mid to upper 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Weather Watch
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds. Lightning strikes could create new fire starts and, with very dry conditions in place, any new fire could spread quickly.
A Fire Weather Watch goes into effect Wednesday evening through Thursday evening for thunderstorms and gusty winds.
What’s next:
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms. The heaviest showers will be in the morning hours and will turn more scattered into the evening hours.
An upper level low will move into the Pacific Northwest, bringing scattered showers and chance of thunderstorms.
Looking Ahead:
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine. We will start to see highs reach the upper 80s to low 90s by early next week.
High pressure will build again Friday and into the weekend, increasing temperatures and sunshine.
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The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
After so many disappointing seasons with the interior offensive line, the Seattle Seahawks made a commitment last offseason to improve the unit. They started one big step at a time by drafting North Dakota State guard Grey Zabel in the first round, 18th overall pick, of the 2025 NFL Draft. This one was one of the last steps for the Seahawks to create one of the most productive offenses in the NFL.
Zabel wasn’t perfect in his rookie season, but he was good enough to validate the decision to draft him in the first round, and he showed improvement. Zabel is already a favorite among some Seahawks fans and some media outlets as they love his determination and spirit. It was a big jump from the FCS collegiate level to the NFL and this season, he has a chance to show why he might be a top-half-of-the-league guard.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Higher?
The Seahawks wanted a determined workhorse when looking for a guard. That’s exactly what they got in Zabel. Last season, he appeared in 1,051 snaps, which is only 10 fewer snaps than right tackle Abraham Lucas, who had the most offensive snaps. Zabel got better as the season progressed. Pro Football Focus gave him an overall grade of 81.5 and a run-block grade of 81.2 in Week 14 through the NFC Championship Game.
There were times last season when he looked like a monster against several defenders. He was pushing some defenders completely out of the way on pulling plays and even ran to defenders after the pass-catcher caught the ball. This is the mentality the Seahawks expect him to have going into his second season in the league. He has more experience and the complete trust of the team to be a franchise player on par with Lucas and left tackle Charles Cross. If he continues to improve, he will be another steal for the Seahawks.
Why Zabel Could Be Ranked Lower?
There were times last season when he didn’t quite catch up to the learning curve of the NFL. Zabel allowed two sacks, four hits and 24 pressures in 2025. The Seahawks expect those numbers to decrease significantly as he is experienced and capable of playing at an efficient level. While Zabel is impressive, he might not be the best player the Seahawks have selected in the 2025 NFL Draft. That honor belongs to slot cornerback Nick Emmanwori, who is stepping up to be the steal of the draft.
Zabel is easily one of the best second-year players and is one of the top offensive linemen, but there are players behind him because they haven’t proven to be consistently explosive for the Seahawks. There is going to be even more pressure on him this upcoming season. The Seahawks hired a more run-friendly coach in Brian Fleury as offensive coordinator. His ranking at the end of the season might be much better if he improves, or worse if he fails to reach expectations.
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SEATTLE – High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures. Skies will be sunny, warm and dry through the middle of the week.
High pressure continues early this week, leading to more sunshine and warmer afternoon temperatures.
What’s next:
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington, with highs in central and eastern Washington getting close to 100 degrees. The coast and northern interior will remain in the 70s with mostly sunny skies.
Highs today in the low to mid 80s for parts of western Washington.
Fire Risk Levels
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. East of the cascades is already dry and warm, so the increased chance of new fire starts will be something to watch with the storms.
The Fire Risk Levels this week will continue to elevate as we see warming temperatures and increased chance of thunderstorms. (FOX 13 Seattle)
Looking Ahead:
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing inland Thursday. This low will increase changes of showers and isolated thunderstorms on Thursday, and temperatures will be back to normal for this time of year. This cool down is short-lived as high pressure builds again and highs warm back up into the 80s by the weekend.
Temperatures will continue to warm for western Washington through midweek, before we see another low pressure system swing in Thursday.
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To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
The Source: Information in this story came from the FOX 13 Seattle Weather Team and the National Weather Service.
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