The Minneapolis Police Department’s newest class of officers includes a non-citizen. Lesly Vera, a 27-year-old legal, permanent resident, became the city’s first non-citizen police officer. “Last night we had the honor of welcoming a new, diverse generation of Minneapolis Police Department officers. Our 23 new officers include the first Somali-American woman to join the department and the first permanent resident. A police service that looks like our residents is better able to serve our residents, and I couldn’t be more proud of the department we’re building under Chief O’Hara,” Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey wrote on Facebook. WATCH: Minneapolis swears in it's first ever female Somali, non-citizen as a police officer. pic.twitter.com/ZIdRq5KAB7 — Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) September 27, 2024 KSTP reports: Now part of the rank-and-file are 11 recruits and 12 lateral officers who are joining from other agencies, some with more than a decade of experience. Of the recruits is the first-ever Somali woman, Ikran Mohamed, and permanent resident, Lesly Vera, for the department. A permanent resident who is a non-citizen can be part of the department now due to a recent law change, Chief O’Hara said. Officer Vera said she moved to Minneapolis from Mexico when she was 4 and has called it home since. “I didn’t see anybody that really looked like me, Latina,” Vera said about her drive to become a police officer. “I want to have that face for my people.” The chief is standing firm behind his new officer. “There may be people who question it, but that’s completely ridiculous. There’s, like I mentioned, there is a history in this country of people immediately on arrival to the country, enlisting in the military and serving,” O’Hara said, adding, “Somebody like [Officer Vera], who has been here essentially her entire life, absolutely is entitled to protect her community in the same way that anyone else here has, and we’re honored to have her.” Noncitizen joins Minneapolis police force Lesly Vera became the first noncitizen police officer in Minneapolis during a graduation ceremony Thursday night, KSTP reported. According to MPR, Vera is a legal, permanent resident but not a citizen. She came to America at the age of… pic.twitter.com/H7LkhCuc77 — Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) September 28, 2024 Per MPR News: While Vera is a legal, permanent U.S. resident, she’s not a citizen. But thanks to a recent change in state law, Vera was finally able to walk across the stage Thursday evening at the Minneapolis Police Department’s latest recruit graduation ceremony. Vera is the first green card holder to be sworn in as an MPD officer, but she wasn’t the only trailblazer in the group of 23 new officers sworn in at the ceremony. Standing alongside her was Officer Ikran Mohamed, 23, the first Somali-American woman to join the department. Mohamed came to the United States from Kenya at age 10, spent her teenage years in Faribault and worked as a correctional officer in Owatonna before applying to MPD. After the ceremony, Mohamed said the 16-week academy training course was tough, but she encourages other young women to give it a go. “It’s very challenging. That’s why I’m here. And I want to be that somebody, to be a role model for girls who look like me, so they can say ‘I can do it too,’” she said. Vera noted that she not only had to go through the grueling physical training, she also had to make sure all of her immigration paperwork was in order. WATCH: