Exposing a shocking federal blunder, a Jamaican police officer was hired, armed, and serving in Maine up until Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stormed in.
The incident has left Americans wondering just how many other “authorized” officers might not even be here legally.
At a Glance
- ICE arrested Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican national and reserve police officer in Maine, after he allegedly overstayed his visa and tried to buy a gun.
- The Old Orchard Beach Police Department claims it vetted Evans and that DHS’s E-Verify system verified his eligibility to work as a cop.
- Federal and local officials publicly clashed over who’s responsible for the hiring blunder—ICE says Evans was illegal, while local police blame federal system failures.
- This fiasco exposes deep flaws in employment verification, state-federal coordination, and the wisdom of allowing noncitizens to police American streets.
Arrest of a Noncitizen Police Officer Sparks Public Outrage and Official Finger-Pointing
Americans got another lesson in why trusting bloated federal bureaucracy to protect our communities is a recipe for disaster. Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican national serving as a reserve police officer with Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine, was arrested by ICE after allegedly attempting to illegally purchase a firearm.
According to ICE, Evans was living in the U.S. illegally, having overstayed his visa. ICE says the firearm purchase attempt triggered an ATF alert, leading to Evans’s arrest and detention.
The mere fact that a noncitizen could be hired, armed, and trusted to enforce the law on American soil is enough to make any law-abiding citizen’s head spin.
But it gets worse: Evans wasn’t hiding in the shadows. He wore the badge, drove the patrol car, and was given the full trust of the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.
The department insists they did everything by the book, including running Evans through the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system, which, they claim, confirmed his eligibility to work as a police officer. So, how in the world did this happen?
Federal System Failures and Local Denials: Who’s Protecting Americans?
The Old Orchard Beach Police Department wasted no time defending itself after Evans’s arrest. Police Chief Elise Chard claims the department followed federal law to the letter, used DHS’s E-Verify system to check Evans’s work status, and only hired him after receiving confirmation.
Chard called for an investigation into what she called “a breakdown in federal employment verification,” shifting the blame squarely onto Washington’s shoulders.
ICE and the ATF, meanwhile, aren’t having it. Their public statements declare that Evans was in the country illegally, that he missed his visa departure date, and that his attempt to buy a firearm was both illegal and dangerous.
In their view, local authorities failed to do their due diligence, and the hiring of a noncitizen officer was a glaring threat to public safety. The tension between federal enforcement and local hiring practices has now burst into open conflict, with both sides accusing the other of incompetence or negligence.
What should worry every American is just how easily this breakdown occurred. The fact that a federal system—supposedly designed to keep our streets safe—can’t even flag a noncitizen overstay for a law enforcement job should have every taxpayer demanding answers.
This isn’t just about one rogue cop. It’s about a system so riddled with loopholes and bureaucratic incompetence that even those sworn to uphold the law can slip through the cracks.
Deeper Problems with Noncitizen Policing and Federal-State Coordination
Maine is one of a handful of states that allow noncitizens with legal work authorization to serve as police officers. Proponents claim the policy fills labor gaps and reflects the “diversity” of modern America.
But this case shows the real risk: If the federal government can’t guarantee the integrity of its own verification systems, how can anyone trust that noncitizen officers are actually here legally or qualified to serve?
This isn’t the first time federal and local authorities have clashed over immigration enforcement, but it’s rare for the controversy to involve a sworn officer.
The case has reignited debates over whether states should be allowed to hire noncitizens as law enforcement and whether E-Verify is even worth the taxpayer dollars poured into it. Critics point to this fiasco as proof that federal employment verification is unreliable, error-prone, and open to abuse or simple bureaucratic failure.
Meanwhile, the Old Orchard Beach Police Department is scrambling to review its hiring and verification processes. Chief Chard has called for a “broader investigation” into what she says was a breakdown at the federal level.
Evans remains in ICE custody, and his legal status and defense remain unclear. The local community is left to wonder just how many other “vetted” officers might not belong behind a badge—or even inside our borders.
Political and Social Fallout: Americans Demand Accountability, Not Excuses
This debacle doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It comes as the Trump administration’s policies are putting unprecedented pressure on states and localities to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement.
New executive orders and policy changes have expanded the use of local police in immigration crackdowns, and the expectation is clear: States must toe the federal line or face penalties.
Across the country, Americans are already fed up with inflation, illegal immigration, and government overreach. Now they see that even their local police departments—supposedly the last line of defense for law and order—can be undermined by federal bungling.
The public wants real accountability, not finger-pointing and shifting blame. The lesson here is simple: If you can’t trust the government to keep illegal immigrants out of your police force, you can’t trust them to defend your basic rights, your safety, or your tax dollars.
