On July 25, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers from Boston’s Enforcement and Removal Operations seized Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican national illegally present in the U.S., after he attempted to unlawfully purchase a firearm. Evans was serving at the time as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.
At the press release, ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde stated:
“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 admitted to ICE agents that the firearm purchase attempt was intended for use in his role as a police officer—an effort that triggered an ATF alert and led to coordinated arrest efforts.
Evans legally entered the U.S. on September 24, 2023, through Miami International Airport, but violated his visa terms by failing to depart as scheduled on October 1, 2023.
Old Orchard Beach Police officials say Evans was hired in May 2025 as a seasonal reserve officer and underwent standard checks, including completion of Form I‑9 and E‑Verify verification. They claim DHS approved his employment eligibility on May 12, 2025, and that his Employment Authorization Document was valid until March 2030.
Police Chief Elise Chard emphasized the department followed protocol:
“Evans would not have been permitted to begin work… until and unless Homeland Security verified his status.”
She also noted that while reserve officers may carry department-issued firearms during duty, they are not allowed to purchase or carry personal weapons.
ICE pointed to a similar case in April involving Gratien Milandou Wamba, a 32-year-old Congolese national serving as a corrections officer in Cumberland County, Maine. Milandou Wamba was arrested after allegedly attempting to purchase a firearm unlawfully while in the country without valid immigration status.
Milandou Wamba had filed for asylum and received a work permit but overstayed his visa. Like Evans, his arrest came after a firearm purchase triggered an immigration enforcement response.
Evans’s hiring—and how federal work authorization was granted despite his immigration status—has prompted scrutiny at both the department and federal levels. ICE said it will continue to prioritize public safety threats in enforcement and removal operations.
Meanwhile, the Old Orchard Beach Police Department has launched an internal review to evaluate hiring procedures and ensure compliance with both immigration and public safety regulations.
