By Drew Johnson
Portland Press Herald, Maine
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arrested an Old Orchard Beach police reserve officer Friday, saying he was in the United States unlawfully, and had illegally tried to purchase a firearm in Biddeford.
Patricia Hyde, ICE ERO Boston’s acting field officer, criticized the Old Orchard Beach department for hiring an immigrant without legal status, and accused the police of “knowingly breaking” the law.
| WATCH: What cops want in 2025 — Safer, smarter responses to mental health calls
“The fact that a police department would hire an illegal alien and unlawfully issue him a firearm while on duty would be comical if it weren’t so tragic,” she said.
But Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard said in a release that Jon Luke Evans had been cleared by the federal Department of Homeland Security prior to being hired.
“As part of the hiring process, the Town reviewed multiple forms of identification, including photo identification, and submitted Evans’ I-9 form to the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify Program,” Chard said in a statement Monday night. “The Department of Homeland Security then verified that Evans was authorized to work in the U.S. ... Evans would not have been permitted to begin work as a reserve officer until and unless Homeland Security verified his status.”
His forms were submitted to DHS and approved on May 12, Chard said, and Maine and some other states allow non-citizen residents to work in law enforcement.
Evans told ICE officers when he was arrested that he was looking to purchase the weapon for his employment as a police officer, ICE said in its statement released Monday.
Chard said reserve officers receive a department-issued firearm but must leave them at the department at the end of each shift.
“Reserve officers are not requested to, nor are they allowed to purchase or carry any other firearms for the performance of their duties,” she said.
Federal law prohibits people in the country illegally from purchasing or possessing firearms, with limited exceptions, an ATF spokesperson told The Associated Press.
Evans, originally from Jamaica, lawfully entered the country in September 2023, according to ICE, but overstayed his visa. He was scheduled to depart the U.S. on Oct. 1 of that year, “but never boarded the flight,” the announcement states. The attempted purchase triggered an alert to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives , which coordinated with ICE.
“We have a police department that was knowingly breaking the very law they are charged with enforcing in order to employ an illegal alien,” Hyde said in the ICE announcement.
Chard and Old Orchard Beach Deputy Chief David Hemingway did not respond to requests for comment Monday evening.
In her statement, Chard said Evans passed all of the physical, medical and background checks.
"(He) was approved by Homeland Security to work in the United States, and underwent the standard course of training for a reserve officer before he was deployed on duty,” Chard said. “Reserve officers face a lengthy probationary period, and Evans’ probationary employment status is now under review. The Old Orchard Beach Police Department will conduct a thorough internal review of the facts and circumstances.”
Chard said the department was never directly informed by ICE about Evans’ detention.
“The department officially learned the details of the matter in a news release issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement,” she said.
The department relied on DHS and its E-Verify program to ensure it was meeting its obligations. Chard said they “are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of our federal government.”
“We intend to investigate this matter to determine what other steps we should take moving forward to ensure our continued compliance with all applicable laws,” Chard’s statement concludes.
The announcement from ICE referenced the arrest of a Cumberland County Jail corrections officer in April.
“In a very similar case in April, ICE officers in Falmouth arrested Gratien, an illegally present, 32-year-old citizen of Congo, who was working as a corrections officer,” the announcement states. “Officers with ICE Boston’s Scarborough, Maine sub office arrested Milandou Wamba for immigration violations after he allegedly illegally attempted to purchase a firearm.”
Milandou Wamba had applied for asylum. He told the Press Herald in an interview last month that he fled his home country after being tortured and threatened for his connection to an opposition party.
© 2025 the Portland Press Herald (Portland, Maine). Visit www.pressherald.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
