OLD ORCHARD BEACH, MAINE – A Jamaican man who was working as a summer reserve police officer in Maine was arrested by ICE on July 25 – prompting accusations by ICE against Old Orchard Beach police of knowingly breaking the law by hiring him.
Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard is pushing back.
She says the man she hired was approved by Homeland Security to work on a visa that does not expire until 2030.
On Monday Chard issued a statement saying the department is “distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government.”
According to Chard, the man arrested Friday by ICE, Jon Luke Evans, was hired by the department in May as a summer reserve officer after clearing all the required background checks. He has been working since May without any issue.
As part of the standard hiring process by the town and 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.
Maine is one of about a dozen states where non-citizens can work as summer police officers. Summer officers are issued a weapon and other equipment which they turn in at the end of their shift. They are not required to purchase a gun for the job.
Chard says 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,” Chard said. “The Police Department was notified that Evans was legally permitted to work in the U.S., and his I-766 Employment Authorization Document was not set to expire until March 2030.”
Chard maintains that either Homeland Security’s system made a mistake in approving Evans for work in the first place, or ICE made an error in declaring his status as illegal and arresting him.
But to accuse Old Orchard Beach Police of wrongdoing has caught the department off guard.
According to Old Orchard Beach Police spokesman John Guilfoil, if Evans did try to purchase a gun claiming it was for his job with the police department, that would be a valid and separate matter from his employment status, and should be adjudicated.
“What’s not valid is – without conversation – to assert that Old Orchard Beach police department was harboring an illegal immigrant,” Guilfoil said.
According to the ICE press release issued Monday, agents arrested “an illegally present Jamaican offender after he unlawfully attempted to purchase a firearm.”
Prior to the ICE press release, Chard was unaware of the arrest. She does not know where Evans is at this time because, officially, she has not been notified of his arrest, said Guilfoil.
Chard maintains that a mistake was made by the federal government. Evans went through the same validation process as any U.S. citizen would have gone through, and the Homeland Security E-Verify system said he was authorized to work in the U.S. – through 2030.
That point was not addressed in the ICE press release.
“Jon Luke Evans not only broke U.S. immigration law, but he also illegally attempted to purchase a firearm. Shockingly, Evans was employed as a local law enforcement officer,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde. “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. ICE Boston will continue to prioritize public safety by arresting and removing criminal alien threats from our New England communities.”
According to the ICE press release, Evans “admitted to ICE officers that he attempted to purchase the firearm for his employment as a police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. His attempt to purchase the firearm triggered an alert to ATF agents, who worked in coordination with ICE to make the arrest.”
ICE maintains that Evans “lawfully entered the United States Sept. 24, 2023, at the Miami International Airport, in Florida. However, he violated the terms of his lawful admission when he overstayed his visa. Evans was scheduled to depart the U.S. October 1, 2023, but never boarded the flight.”
Said Chard, in her statement, “In hiring Evans, our department and our community relied on the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations, and we are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the 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.”
Below, the full statement issued by Old Orchard Police Chief Elise Chard:
“On Friday, July 25, the Old Orchard Beach Police Department was notified that one of its reserve police officers was detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for allegedly being in the country with an expired visa. Jon Luke Evans was hired by the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in May as a summer reserve officer. 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.
“The Police Department was notified that Evans was legally permitted to work in the U.S., and his I-766 Employment Authorization Document was not set to expire until March 2030.
“The State of Maine is one of approximately a dozen states that allows non-citizen residents to work in law enforcement. The State of Maine, by law, allows those with legal work authorization to work in law enforcement. In Old Orchard Beach, reserve police officers are part-time, seasonal employees who must meet the same background checks, pass the same physical agility tests, and receive the same medical evaluations as full-time police officers.
“Reserve officers are generally assigned a variety of tasks, including foot/bicycle beach patrol and community policing. Reserve officers receive firearms training and are issued a firearm, however, reserve officers are not allowed to bring a Department-issued firearm home with them and must turn their firearms into 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.
“Evans passed all physical and medical checks, passed a background check, 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.
“Reserve officers face a lengthy probation 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.
“The Old Orchard Beach Police 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.
“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department takes its legal responsibilities very seriously, and takes great care to follow the laws that we are tasked with enforcing. In hiring Evans, our department and our community relied on the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations, and we are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the 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.”