Immigrant police officers have made our communities stronger
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NYPD pallbearers carry the casket of slain NYPD officer Didarul Islam during his funeral at Parkchester Jame Masjid on July 31, 2025 in the Parkchester neighborhood of the Bronx borough in New York City.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty
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Generations of immigrants have embraced that mission. As Chuck Wexler, head of the Police Executive Research Forum, a Washington-based think tank,
That melting pot mentality has also been good for law enforcement. As Wexler also noted, 'Officer Islam is part of a long history of immigrants improving American communities through policing.'
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In policing, diversity is not a curse; it is a positive force.
For example,
More recently,
Wexler's post cites other examples in police departments around the country where immigrants contribute greatly to the communities they serve. Some, like Islam, died in the line of duty.
When tragedy strikes, the police officer is a hero. Their country of origin is important only because it shows the starting point of an officer's life and how much they were willing to risk in service to their new country — everything.
We live in a time of great suspicion and hostility toward immigrants in every walk of life. Police are on the frontlines, caught between the actions of masked federal agents who snatch people off the streets and the communities whose trust they need in order to do their job.
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Police, he said, are totally supportive of a focus on violent offenders who are here illegally — however, trust with immigrant communities is threatened when you arrest those who have been working here for 20 years, at a wide range of jobs that make them an integral part of their cities and towns. With that comes concern people will be afraid to come forward to either report crime or serve as witnesses. Today's domestic violence incident could be tomorrow's homicide.
Wexler believes it is the job of Congress to come up with a solution. 'Instead of comprehensive immigration reform, it has been left to ICE and police to do what Congress isn't able to do,' he told me.
Police should not be feared by immigrants who have committed no crime other than coming to this country. Nor should it take the death of a police officer for people to value the promise of immigrants who come here seeking a better life, like Islam and his family. But it does.
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We should never forget that we are a country of proud immigrants — some of whom, like Islam, die in service to that country.
Thousands of members of the NYPD and other law enforcement agencies attended the funeral of Officer Didarul Islam on July 31, 2025, who was killed during a mass shooting while working a private security detail assignment in midtown Manhattan.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty
Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at
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