Maine Police Chief Wants ICE Investigated For Arresting One Of His Officers

The chief of police of a town in Maine wants ICE to be investigated over the arrest of one of her officers, who the agency claimed had overstayed his visa and was working in the U.S. unlawfully.

Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard disputed the claim by ICE, saying Luke Evans was federally approved to work in May and that the Department of Homeland Security verified so that month.

She added that the department was notified that Evans was legally allowed to work until 2030, and that the town submitted pertinent information through the E-Verify program, which allows employers to check if potential employees can legally work in the U.S.

Chard claimed the department is "distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government" but that the department will also conduct an internal investigation to review the case.

"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," added.

ICE, on its end, claimed that Evans entered the United States legally in September 2023 but failed to depart in October of the same year. He was arrested earlier this month while attempting to buy a firearm, allegedly to perform his duty.

The agency said in a statement that Evans "not only broke U.S. immigration law, but he also illegally attempted to purchase a firearm."

"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," said Acting Field Office Director Patricia Hyde.

The Associated Press noted that Maine is among the states allowing noncitizens to work in law enforcement. They are part-time, seasonal employees. Evans passed physical and medical checks, as well as a background check, and went through the standard course of training before being deployed.