The Minneapolis Police Department recently hired 23 new officers, with two making history: Ikran Mohamed, a Somali-American woman, and Lesly Vera, who came to the U.S. from Mexico at age four and is now a permanent resident.
Despite these significant hires, Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara expressed his frustration over the hate directed at them.
O’Hara highlighted criticism from individuals claiming to support law enforcement, including a tweet from Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter), which falsely claimed Vera was working illegally.
Musk’s tweet referenced an article from the right-leaning site Not the Bee, which criticized the hires and falsely suggested Vera’s employment status was illegal.
According to federal and state law, Vera, a lawful permanent resident and part of the DACA program, is eligible for the position.
O’Hara emphasized that much of the backlash seems to stem from misconceptions that the women are undocumented immigrants. He defended the new officers, calling them brave individuals who are standing up to serve in Minneapolis despite the negative atmosphere. He stressed that the department hires based on character, not appearances, drawing parallels to the historical hiring of Irish immigrants in the New York City Police Department.
