Maine police chief says Jamaican officer arrested by ICE had cleared federal check for work in May
Old Orchard Beach, Maine – Maine’s seaside police station called for an investigation into American immigration arrest and the customs’ application of one of his officers, who, according to the chief, had been approved by the federal government to work in the country in May.
Ice arrested the Old Orchard Beach, Jon Luke Evans, Jamaica, reserve service officer on July 25. The agency said that Evans was illegally present in the United States and illegally tried to buy a firearm.
Ice said in a statement on Monday that Evans had legally entered the United States in September 2023 and had violated the terms of his admission by going beyond his visa. But Old Orchard Beach, Elise Chard police chief, said in her own statement on Monday that the United States Ministry of Internal Security had verified that Evans was authorized to work in the United States in May this year.
The former Orchard Beach police department and ICE officials did not respond to requests for updating status on the case of Evans. He was not clear on Tuesday if he had access to a lawyer.
Ice and Chard presented various accounts of the employment of Evans by the city. Chard said that the ministry had been informed by federal officials that Evans was legally authorized to work in the country and that his authorization document would not express before 2030.
She said the ministry is “in distress and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government” and will investigate the necessary measures to ensure the compliance of the city in the future. She said the ministry would also carry out an internal examination of the case.
“The police service of former Orchard Beach has never been officially informed of the detention of Evans, and the ministry officially learned details of the case in a press release published by immigration and customs application,” said Chard.
Ice said in a statement that Evans admitted to his officers that he had tried to buy a firearm for his job as a police officer in the city. This sparked an alert from the alcohol, tobacco, firearms and explosives, who coordinate with the ice to arrest, the agency said in a statement.
Evans was to leave the United States in October 2023, but never climbed aboard its departure flight, the statement said.
“We have a police service that knowingly breaks the law itself, it is accused of the application in order to employ an illegal extraterrestrial,” said Boston, director of the US immigration and customs, the director of the US immigration and customs.
Old Orchard Beach is a popular summer holiday destination in Maine, beloved for its walk, its beach and its amusement park in the city center. It is a highly seasonal community that is the most active in summer, when it swells with visitors and requires a larger police presence than slower and colder months.
Maine is part of a dozen states that allow residents of non-citizens to work in law enforcement, said Chard. These are part-time seasonal employees who are assigned a variety of tasks, including the community police and the beach and bicycle patrol, she said.
Evans has passed physical and medical checks and a history check, said Chard. He also followed the standard training course before being deployed in service, she said.
