The chief of police in Outdated Orchard Seaside, a well-liked resort city in Maine, is asking for an investigation following the arrest of one in every of her officers by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The officer, Jon Luke Evans of Jamaica, was taken into custody on July 25 for allegedly overstaying his visa and unlawfully making an attempt to buy a firearm.
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ICE stated Monday that Evans legally entered the US in September 2023 however violated the phrases of his visa by failing to depart the nation in October as scheduled. In response to the company, Evans admitted he had tried to buy a firearm for his job as a police officer, triggering a federal alert and his subsequent arrest.
Nonetheless, Outdated Orchard Seaside Police Chief Elise Chard disputes the account, stating that in Could 2024, the Division of Homeland Safety verified that Evans was approved to work within the U.S., and that his employment authorization was legitimate by way of 2030. Chard mentioned the division was by no means formally notified of Evans’ detention and solely discovered of the case by way of ICE’s information launch.
Chard mentioned the division had adopted all required steps earlier than hiring Evans, together with a background test, medical and bodily screenings, and commonplace coaching. She emphasised that Maine is amongst roughly a dozen U.S. states that enable non-citizens to work in legislation enforcement below sure circumstances, notably in part-time or seasonal roles.
“The division is distressed and deeply involved about this [apparent] error on the a part of the federal authorities,” Chard mentioned, including that each an inside evaluate and a broader investigation are underway to evaluate how the scenario occurred and to make sure future compliance.
ICE officers allege that the division knowingly employed somebody in violation of immigration legislation. “We’ve got a police division that was knowingly breaking the very legislation they’re charged with implementing,” mentioned Patricia H. Hyde, performing discipline workplace director of ICE Enforcement and Removing Operations in Boston.
As of Tuesday, Evans’ authorized illustration and present standing remained unclear. Neither ICE nor the Outdated Orchard Seaside Police Division supplied additional updates on the case.
Outdated Orchard Seaside is a seasonal city that considerably will increase its police staffing through the summer time to accommodate a big inflow of vacationers. Officers like Evans usually carry out duties comparable to group outreach and seashore patrols.
