Maine police officer detained by ICE agrees to voluntarily leave US Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAYAugust 23, 2025 at 4:10 AM A former seasonal reserve officer in Maine has agreed to leave the United States after federal authorities said he violated his visa by attempting to purchase a firearm.
- - Maine police officer detained by ICE agrees to voluntarily leave US
Michelle Del Rey , USA TODAYAugust 23, 2025 at 4:10 AM
A former seasonal reserve officer in Maine has agreed to leave the United States after federal authorities said he violated his visa by attempting to purchase a firearm.
Jon-Luke Evans, who was born in Jamaica, began working for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department on June 13, according to a notice of employment termination file obtained by USA TODAY. The department said immigration officials confirmed he had authorization to work in the United States when he was selected to join the force, but Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials stated Evans overstayed his visa in 2023.
ICE officers arrested Jon Luke Evans on July 25 in Biddeford, Maine, the federal law enforcement agency said in a news release.
Jon-Luke Evans, a former seasonal reserve officer in Maine, voluntarily left the country after immigration officials said he overstayed his visa and attempted to purchase a firearm
Evans told ICE officers he attempted to purchase a firearm for his employment as a police officer. The attempt triggered an alert to agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who worked with ICE to make the arrest.
Evans lawfully entered the United States in September 2023 at Miami International Airport, but he violated the terms of his admission when he didn't board a flight in October 2023 that was set to take him out of the country, ICE said.
On Monday, Aug. 18, a judge granted Evans voluntary departure, meaning he was able to leave the country at his own expense instead of facing formal deportation proceedings. ICE said agents accompanied Evans to the airport to ensure he left the country on Monday.
USA TODAY contacted ICE on Friday, Aug. 22, regarding whether Evans had retained an attorney, but the federal agency has not responded.
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Evans' employment eligibility was confirmed, Old Orchard Beach police says
Old Orchard Beach Police Department Chief Elise Chard said in a statement that the department "does not knowingly employ undocumented immigrants or those living in the country unlawfully, and we go to great lengths to verify the employment eligibility of all applicants."
She added: "To assert otherwise about our police department is simply not true or accurate."
Old Orchard Beach is 20 miles south of Portland.
To hire Evans, department officials reviewed his Jamaican birth certificate, Massachusetts driver's license, Jamaican passport, U.S. Social Security card and U.S. Work Authorization Card.
Additionally, Chard said Evans would not have been hired without the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) verifying his status, which was done through E-Verify, a web-based system operated by DHS and the Social Security Administration that helps employers verify the work eligibility of newly hired employees.
"The federal government has aggressively pushed all employers – government and private – to rely on E-Verify in the hiring process," Chard's statement said. "Any insinuation that the Town and Department were derelict in our efforts to verify Mr. Evans' eligibility to work for the Town is false and appears to be an attempt to shift the blame onto a hard-working local law enforcement agency that has done its job."
In a statement emailed to USA TODAY, Chard said, "The Town reiterates its ongoing commitment to meeting all state and federal laws regarding employment. We will continue to rely on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify database to confirm employment eligibility."
Evans wanted to become an 'excellent police officer one day'
In response to a question on his job application, which was reviewed by USA TODAY, Evans said he wanted to become a seasonal reserve officer to "take a step forward in gaining more experience so I can become an excellent police officer one day."
Chard, in a statement shared July 28 on Facebook, said the department was "never officially informed about Evans' detention, and the department officially learned the details of the matter in a news release issued by Immigration and Customs Enforcement."
ICE said the agency handled a similar case in April, when agents arrested Gratien Milandou-Wamba, 32, in Falmouth, Maine. Wamba was working as a corrections officer. He similarly attempted to purchase a firearm.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected]
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Maine police officer detained by ICE to voluntarily leave country
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