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Council rejects nonbinding ballot question on U.S. citizenship for police hires, refers proposed ordinance to committee
Summary
A nonbinding municipal ballot question asking whether U.S. citizenship should be required to be hired as a New Bedford police officer failed 5–6. Separately, the council voted unanimously to refer a proposed ordinance to the Committee on Ordinances that would require U.S. citizenship for new police hires.
The New Bedford City Council voted down a nonbinding municipal ballot question asking whether United States citizenship should be a requirement to be hired as a police officer in New Bedford, then separately voted to refer a related ordinance proposal to the Committee on Ordinances for further study.
The ballot question — presented as a proposed public‑opinion question for the November 4, 2025 municipal ballot — failed in a roll-call vote, 5–6. The council recorded votes as follows: Yes — Councilors Ian Abreu, Naomi Carney, Leo Choquette, Joseph Lopes and Sean Oliver; No — Councilors Derek Baptiste, (name transcribed as Bruego/Bergau), Maria Giesta, Brian K. Gomes, Linda M. Morad and Ryan Perera. The motion to place the nonbinding question on the ballot therefore failed.
Separately, Councilor Brian K. Gomes moved to refer to the Committee on Ordinances a proposal directing the city solicitor and ordinance committee to draft an ordinance that would require U.S. citizenship for anyone hired by the New Bedford Police Department. Gomes said he did not want current officers without citizenship removed immediately and that the intent was to require citizenship for future hires and to work with existing officers to obtain citizenship. “I do not want them off the force,” Gomes said. “What I do want is the department to work with these officers to make them citizens of The United States.”
Councilors across multiple wards supported sending the proposal to committee for detailed study. Councilor Naomi Carney said the council should include an exemption and a timeline for existing permanent‑resident officers now on the force to obtain citizenship. Councilor Leo Choquette urged the council to examine “all potential avenues,” including legal review that could reach higher courts depending on how any ordinance is written.
The referral to the Committee on Ordinances passed on a roll call, 11–0. The ordinance proposal references city‑code and state guidelines about ballot questions and municipal hiring; item 8 as presented referred to Massachusetts General Laws chapter 53, section 18A for ballot wording.
What was discussed: Supporters argued U.S. citizenship aligns with practices in other countries and that arrests by noncitizens could raise legal questions in court. Opponents (as reflected in roll-call votes on the ballot question) did not support placing the nonbinding question on the municipal ballot; on the ordinance referral, councilors sought to balance neighborhood concerns, recruitment needs and protections for incumbent officers.
Next steps: The item was referred to the Committee on Ordinances for drafting and legal review. Councilors discussed potential exemptions or timelines for existing officers with permanent lawful resident status and asked for legal analysis of enforceability and any state‑ or federal‑law conflicts.
Ending: The council sent the question of citizenship in police hiring to the ordinance committee for further drafting and legal review while rejecting the immediate placement of a related nonbinding ballot question.
