Maine Police Force Hires An Illegal, What Could Go Wrong

What goes up must come down, Spinning Wheel got to go 'round Talkin' 'bout your troubles It's a cryin' sin. Ride a painted pony, Let the Spinning Wheel spin.

Those are the lyrics from the song Spinning Wheel, by Blood Sweat and Tears from 1968. They’re appropriate for the asinine excuse of a police force at the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in York County, Maine.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers arrested an illegal immigrant, Jon Luke Evans, who was employed as a police officer, after he allegedly attempted to purchase a firearm illegally.

Officers arrested the Jamaican alien with the assistance of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) after his firearm purchase attempt in Biddeford on July 25 “raised concerns tied to his immigration status,” according to an agency press release.

Evans was a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department at the time of his arrest, according to the agency.

ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde spelled it out this way:

“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.”

“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.”

Evans reportedly told ICE officers that he attempted to purchase a firearm for his role as a police officer. This attempt to buy the firearm alerted ATF agents, who collaborated with ICE to arrest him.

According to ICE, Evans entered the United States legally on September 24, 2023, through Miami International Airport in Florida. However, he was required to leave the country by October 1, 2023. Instead, Evans overstayed his visa and did not return home.

The Old Orchard Beach Police Department informed Fox News Digital that it hired Evans as a seasonal officer in May. The department stated that Evans completed a full background check, physical and medical screening, and received law enforcement training.

A full background check? Except for that illegal overstay of his visa, everything checked out. I’m glad I don’t live in Old Orchard Beach, which apparently describes their investigative techniques.

According to the New York Post:

"The department reported that it submitted his employment documents to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the federal E-Verify system during the hiring process. According to the police, DHS confirmed that Evans is eligible to work and stated that his Employment Authorization Document is valid until March 2030."

Police Chief Elise Chard tried passing the buck, saying:

“Our department and our community relied on the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations. We are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government.”

This argument would be more convincing if not for the fact that Maine is one of about a dozen states that permit non-citizens to work in law enforcement, provided they have a valid work permit. 

Reserve officers in Old Orchard Beach are seasonal employees who conduct community patrols. They do not take department-issued firearms home, nor do they carry personal weapons while on duty, according to the report.

The department is reviewing Evans's probationary status and has initiated an internal investigation into its hiring protocols.

According to Chard:

“We take our legal responsibilities very seriously. We intend to investigate this matter thoroughly and determine what additional steps may be necessary moving forward.”

ICE reported a similar case in April involving Gratien Milandou Wamba, a 32-year-old Congolese national who was employed as a corrections officer in Falmouth. He was arrested for immigration violations after attempting to illegally purchase a firearm.

I find it hard to believe that someone who should have been out of the country in October of 2023 could be hired with no red flags raised. Maine openly admits that they are one of around a dozen states that allow illegals to work in law enforcement. Their attempt to blame the federal government is nothing more than kicking the can down the road so they can use it as an excuse to get away with putting illegals in charge of LEGAL citizens.

By saying they count on the “Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations,” is tantamount to saying ‘we don’t really check, and if anything comes up we can blame someone else’.

Illegals are illegal because they are breaking the law by being in this country. The idea that ANY state would allow lawbreakers to have any oversight over law-abiding Americans is ludicrous.