Two illegal immigrant police officers, Jon Luke Evans of Jamaica and Radule Bojovic of Montenegro, were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for overstaying their visas and working in U.S. law enforcement. Both men initially entered the U.S. legally but were found to have breached their visa terms. Their arrests, occurring in sanctuary jurisdictions in Maine and Illinois, highlight flaws in the vetting process and raise concerns about immigration enforcement.
Evans, a reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine, was arrested in July 2024 after attempting to purchase a firearm. During the transaction, he falsely claimed to be a police officer, which triggered an alert to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF). Federal officials confirmed that Evans had entered the U.S. legally in September 2023 but overstayed his visa, violating immigration laws. Despite passing background checks and being cleared by the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system, he was arrested by ICE, sparking questions about the reliability of existing vetting mechanisms.
Bojovic, a police officer in Hanover Park, Illinois, was arrested during Operation Midway Blitz, a federal operation targeting illegal immigrants in the state. Federal authorities stated that Bojovic had entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired on March 31, 2015. Over a decade later, he was still in the country illegally. He had been approved for a position as a full-time officer in January 2025 and was slated to receive a starting salary of $78,955, raising concerns about the potential for illegal immigrants to hold public official roles. His arrest followed an operation that targeted individuals who had been in the U.S. illegally for extended periods and may have been involved in criminal activities.
The arrests have drawn attention to the role of sanctuary jurisdictions, which are local governments that limit cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. Old Orchard Beach and Hanover Park are both considered sanctuary jurisdictions, and their local officials have expressed concern that the failures in vetting were due to federal missteps rather than lapses in their own procedures. Despite their claims of legal compliance, the incidents have raised significant questions about the adequacy of background checks and immigration scrutiny for individuals working in law enforcement, particularly in areas with strong local autonomy over immigration enforcement.
Both jurisdictions have issued statements denying responsibility for the vetting failures. In Maine, Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard stated that the department followed all legal procedures, including the use of E-Verify, and that the situation was the result of a possible federal error. Similarly, the Hanover Park Police Department in Illinois emphasized that Bojovic had passed federal background checks and provided valid work authorization documents, claiming that the incident was an anomaly rather than a systemic failure. These responses reflect a broader debate over the balance between immigration enforcement and local autonomy, with some officials arguing that federal agencies should take greater responsibility for ensuring that law enforcement positions are held by individuals with proper legal status.