Jon Luke Evans, the Old Orchard Beach cop in question, was in the country on a temporary visa that required he return to Jamaica by 1 Oct 2023.
He failed to do that or to report his overstay to Immigration.
Therefore he was in the country, working at a taxpayer funded job,
illegally, since October 2023.
He also, apparently, lied on ATF form 4473, Section 2 Question L, which, if done knowingly, is a felony.
Jamaican national working as Maine police officer arrested by ICE and ATF, granted voluntary departure rather than deportation after firearm purchase attempt.
www.foxnews.com
Chief Chard confirmed that Evans submitted his I-9 Form to Homeland Security and submitted photo identification for his employment with the department.
‘Evans would not have been permitted to begin work as a reserve officer until and unless Homeland Security verified his status.’
The department added that Evans had an approved Employment Authorization Document that wasn’t set to expire until March 2030.
Police and town officials have argued they followed protocol and determined Evans was legally allowed to work in the United States before he was hired.
But Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin claimed the police department had a ‘reckless reliance’ on the department’s E-Verify program and should have done more to verify Evans’ status.
‘Usage of E-Verify does not absolve employers of their legal duty to verify documentation authenticity, and all employers should take necessary steps to effectively verify legal employment status,’ she said in a statement.
‘No illegal alien should ever be provided a firearm or serve in law enforcement, not only is it the law, it’s also basic common sense,’ McLaughlin argued.
Still, she claimed the department’s E-Verify Program is a proven tool that ‘delivers high accuracy in verifying work authorization by cross-checking employee documents against government databases to combat rampant document fraud and protecting American workers.’
Old Orchard Beach officials countered by claiming that the federal government has pushed all employers to rely on E-Verify.
Town Manager Diana Asanza also argued that the Old Orchard Beach ‘follows all of the pre-employment guidelines expected of an employer in the state of Maine and in the US.’
She then accused ‘certain federal agencies’ of working ‘to undermine public trust and confidence in municipal law enforcement.’
But, keep screaming for the Fed.Gov to take over every aspect of local governance. Right, Rachel, er um, "Anti" Federalist?
