The Minnesota Police Dept. has reported that Lesly Vera, a native of Somalia, was sworn in on Thursday as the department’s first non-citizen officer.

Vera was seen at the swearing-in ceremony wearing a hijab over her head as she took the oath of office and received her badge.

Vera moved to Minneapolis with her parents from their arrival point in Mexico when she was four. She is a legal resident alien and authorized to work, but is not a U.S. citizen.

Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended the idea of giving police powers to a non-citizen.

“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 told KSTP-TV. “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.”