Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Monday it arrested an illegal immigrant from Jamaica who was working as a reserve police officer in Maine after he tried to purchase a firearm.
Jon Luke Evans was arrested Friday in Biddeford, Maine, after his attempt to purchase the firearm for his job triggered an alert to agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Fireworks, and Explosives, who worked with ICE to make the arrest, ICE said in a news release.
ICE said Evans, who was employed as a reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, lawfully entered the U.S. on Sept. 24, 2023, in Miami but overstayed his visa. He was scheduled to leave the U.S. on Oct. 1, 2023, but never boarded the flight. Old Orchard Beach is a seaside resort town in southwestern Maine.
"Jon Luke Evans not only broke U.S. immigration law, but he also illegally attempted to purchase a firearm," said Patricia Hyde, acting field office director for ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations in Boston. "Shockingly, Evans was employed as a local law enforcement officer. 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.
"We have a police department that was knowingly breaking the very law they are charged with enforcing in order to employ an illegal alien."
The Old Orchard Beach Police Department said in statement Monday to the Boston Herald that the Department of Homeland Security reviewed forms associated with Evans’ hire.
"Jon Luke Evans was hired by the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in May as a summer reserve officer," said Police Chief Elise Chard. "As part of the standard hiring process by the Town and the Police Department, Evans was required to complete an I-9 federal immigration and work authorization form to verify that he was legally authorized to work in the United States.
"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. The Department of Homeland Security then verified that Evans was authorized to work in the U.S. The form was submitted and approved by DHS on May 12, 2025. Evans would not have been permitted to begin work as a reserve officer until and unless Homeland Security verified his status."
Newsmax reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for comment.
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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