By Associated Press’s Patrick Whittle
Maine’s Old Orchard Beach (AP) A Maine resort town’s police chief has demanded a probe into the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s May detention of one of its officers, who the chief claims had received federal approval to work in the nation.
On July 25, ICE detained Jamaican reserve officer Jon Luke Evans of the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. According to the agency, Evans attempted to buy a firearm illegally and was present in the country illegally.
Evans had lawfully entered the United States in September 2023, but he overstayed his visa, in violation of the rules of his entrance, according to a statement released by ICE on Monday. In her own statement on Monday, however, Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard stated that in May of this year, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security had confirmed Evans’ authorization to work in the United States.
Requests for an update on Evans’ case received no response from ICE or the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. On Tuesday, it was unclear whether he had legal representation.
Chard and ICE gave contrasting versions of Evans’ employment by the town. According to Chard, federal officials informed the department that Evans was legally allowed to work in the nation and that his authorization document would not expire until 2030.
According to Chard, the town used the Department of Homeland Security’s E-VerifyProgram to submit information. Employers can use the web tool E-Verify, which was introduced in the late 1990s, to determine whether a candidate is legally permitted to work in the United States. The majority do not utilize it, however some big private firms do.
The department is upset and extremely worried about this apparent mistake on the part of the federal government, she added, and it will look into what it can do to guarantee the town’s compliance going forward. She added that an internal examination of the case’s circumstances would be carried out by the department.
According to Chard, the Old Orchard Beach Police agency only found out about Evans’ incarceration through a press release from Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency was never formally notified of Evans’ detention.
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Evans acknowledged to its officers that he tried to buy a gun for his job as a local police officer, according to a statement from ICE. According to a statement from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, it prompted an alert to the agency, which worked with ICE to conduct the arrest.
According to the statement, Evans was supposed to leave the United States in October 2023 but never got on his aircraft.
Patricia H. Hyde, the acting field office director of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston, said in a statement, “We have a police department that was willfully violating the very law they are charged with enforcing in order to employ an illegal alien.”
Maine’s Old Orchard Beach is a well-liked summer vacation spot because of its boardwalk, beach, and amusement park near the downtown area. Being a largely seasonal village, it is busiest during the summer, when more people visit and a greater police presence is needed than during the slower, colder months.
According to Chard, Maine is one of perhaps a dozen states that permit noncitizens to serve in law enforcement. They are seasonal, part-time workers who are tasked with a range of duties, such as beach patrol on foot and bicycle and community policing, she said.
According to Chard, Evans cleared a background check, medical examination, and physical examination. Before going on duty, he also completed the required training, she added.
