The illegal immigrant who landed a gig as a police officer in Maine after overstaying his visa agreed to voluntarily leave the US following detention by federal immigration agents when he attempted to buy a firearm.
A judge on Monday granted the voluntary departure for Jamaican national Jon Luke Evans, a former reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department, WMTW-TV reported.
He must pay his own way to leave the United States within a set time under the voluntary departure order.
Evans was required to acknowledge his unlawful presence in the US, forgo any applications for legal status, and prove he had both the intention and financial ability to depart to secure his voluntary departure.
Evans was arrested in Biddeford on July 25 after the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) was informed that he attempted to purchase a gun.
He was being held at the Plymouth County Correctional Facility in Massachusetts, but he was later transferred to the Wyatt Detention Center in Central Falls, Rhode Island, the outlet reported.
Evans initially entered the US legally on a weeklong visa through Miami International Airport in September 2023.
Although he was scheduled to leave the country on Oct. 1, 2023, he failed to do so and ultimately became a police officer in Maine.
By May, Evans joined the police force as a seasonal officer for the popular tourist town.
As part of his hiring process, Evans underwent a background check, physical and medical screenings and law enforcement training.
The department also sent his employment documents to the Department of Homeland Security to confirm Evans’ eligibility to work in the US, the department said.
The DHS stated that Evans had an eligible work permit that was set to expire in March 2030, according to the police department.
“Our department and our community relied on the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations,” Police Chief Elise Chard told Fox News Digital.
“We are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government.”
E-Verify is an online system that allows employers to check if potential employees are eligible to work in the US.
His role as a reserve officer prevented him from taking department-issued firearms home or carrying his own weapons on the job.
Chard clarified that reserve officers are neither permitted to supply their own firearms nor authorized to carry non-issued weapons while on duty.
The town is aware of reports that Evans plans to leave the country voluntarily.
“The town reiterates its ongoing commitment to meeting all state and federal laws regarding employment,” Chard said in a statement.
“We will continue to rely on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify database to confirm employment eligibility.”
Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin stated that the police department had a “reckless reliance” on the E-Verify Program and should have conducted further research to verify the individual’s legal status, according to WMTW-TV.
“Usage of E-Verify does not absolve employers of their legal duty to verify documentation authenticity, and all employers should take necessary steps to effectively verify legal employment status,” McLaughlin said.
“No illegal alien should ever be provided a firearm or serve in law enforcement, not only is it the law, it’s also basic common sense.”
However, McLaughlin also stated that E-Verify “delivers high accuracy in verifying work authorization by cross-checking employee documents against government databases to combat rampant document fraud and protecting American workers.”
Officials in Old Orchard Beach countered that the federal government has encouraged employers nationwide to adopt E-Verify.
“Simply stated, had the federal government flagged his information, my town would not have hired Mr. Evans,” Chard 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.”
with Post wires
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