Maine police chief says officer arrested by ICE is missed by colleagues and was eligible to work

OLD ORCHARD BEACH Maine AP The police officer arrested by immigration officials in a Maine town was a trusted member of the force who is missed by his colleagues administrators stated Wednesday expressing frustration with the lack of information about the occurrence from the federal ruling body U S Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested Old Orchard Beach Police Department reserve Officer Jon Luke Evans of Jamaica on July The agency which has been ramping up arrests across the country to fulfill President Donald Trump s promise of mass deportations reported Evans overstayed his visa and unlawfully attempted to purchase a firearm Police Chief Elise Chard stated the U S Department of Homeland Prevention has verified that Evans was federally approved to work in the country in May and that the town and police department haven t received any information about Evans scenario his current whereabouts or whether he is represented by an attorney ICE agents did not respond to email and phone request for comment Wednesday Evans had the respect of his peers and rapidly became a valued officer and his arrest has been dispiriting for a department that relies on seasonal help during the busy summer months Chard announced She announced Evans has a wife who continues to live locally I m hoping that this can be resolved and there will be a finding of no wrongdoing on anybody s part and he can go on with his life the way he intended Chard revealed Chard reported the department was notified by federal functionaries that Evans was legally permitted to work in the country and his authorization document would not expire until She reported the town submitted information via the Department of Homeland Precaution s E-Verify Operation prior to Evans employment E-Verify is an online system launched in the late s that allows employers to check if feasible employees can work legally in the U S Particular large private employers use it but the bulk do not Assistant Secretary of Homeland Protection Tricia McLaughlin advised WMTW-TV that use of E-Verify does not absolve employers of their legal duty to verify legal employment status The Old Orchard Beach Police Department s reckless reliance on E-Verify to justify arming an illegal alien Jon Luke Evans violates federal law and does not absolve them of their failure to conduct basic background checks to verify legal status McLaughlin informed the station Town manager Diana Asanza declared the Department of Homeland Assurance has thrown its own electronic verification system into question by accusing the town of hiring an unauthorized worker If we should not trust the word of the federal computer system that verifies documents and employment eligibility what good is that system Asanza mentioned ICE explained in a Monday comment that Evans admitted to its officers that he attempted to purchase a firearm for his employment as a police officer with the town That triggered an alert to the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives which coordinated with ICE to make the arrest the agency stated in a comment Evans initially entered the country legally and was scheduled to depart the U S in October but never boarded his departing flight the declaration says He then overstayed his visa it says Chard has stated the police department is conducting an scrutiny into the circumstances surrounding the arrest Maine Assistant House Majority Leader Rep Lori K Gramlich an Old Orchard Beach Democrat disclosed she is calling for federal review of the E-Verify and DHS authorization process that allowed Evans to begin work in May She disclosed in a report that she also wants clearer protocols to ensure that local law enforcement is formally notified in advance of any actions involving its personnel Source