Old Orchard Beach police say DHS ‘shifting blame' to them in ICE arrest of summer officer from Jamaica
Chard said DHS reported Evans' status on May 12 as 'Alien Authorized to Work' and validated his Customs and Immigration Form I-766, showing he could hold legal employment through March 19, 2030.
But federal officials said Evans overstayed his visa by nearly two years, and
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In a lengthy statement Wednesday detailing the town's hiring process for Evans, Old Orchard Beach officials said Evans would not have been permitted to begin work without DHS verifying his status.
'Simply stated, had the federal government flagged his information the Town would not have hired Mr. Evans,' Chard said in the statement. 'Any insinuation that the Town and Department were derelict in our efforts to verify Mr. Evans' eligibility to work for the Town is false.'
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Earlier Wednesday, Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for DHS, said in a statement that the 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.'
Old Orchard Beach officials, however, said the federal government has 'aggressively pushed all employers – government and private – to rely on E-Verify in the hiring process."
Town manager Diana Asanza said the Department of Homeland Security '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 said in the statement.
Town officials said they compiled a 153-page personnel file on Evans that included his background check documents, driving records, copies of identification cards, education records, references, and medical records.
Community Service Officers from the Old Orchard Beach Police Dept. patrol on bicycles on Tuesday in Old Orchard Beach, Maine.
Robert F. Bukaty/Associated Press
'The Old Orchard Beach Police Department thoroughly checked Mr. Evans' background and verified that all information and documentation he provided was accurate,' Chard said. 'The depth of his personnel file shows the diligence the Town takes in hiring.'
In addition to his I-9 federal immigration and work authorization form and a resume, Chard said Evans also provided his Jamaican birth certificate, Massachusetts drivers' license, Jamaican passport, U.S. Social Security card, U.S Work Authorization card, and proof of college credit.
Town officials said they also checked Maine's criminal history database and the Interstate Identification Index, a database of state and federal criminal histories that is maintained by the FBI and National Crime Information Center, as part of their background check on Evans, according to the town's statement.
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Evans also passed a physical fitness test, a drug test, a health exam, and completed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy ALERT test, 'which ensures candidates have the comprehension and writing skills needed to succeed in law enforcement,' Old Orchard Beach officials said.
Maine is one of about a dozen states that allows non-citizen residents to work in law enforcement, according to the police department.
Evans legally arrived in the US via Miami International Airport on Sept. 24, 2023, but failed to board his return flight to Jamaica a week later on Oct. 1, 2023, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a statement Monday.
His attempt to buy a gun triggered an alert to agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, who worked in coordination with ICE to make the arrest, the statement said.
In an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, Chard said Evans was a trusted member of the force who had the respect of his peers. She said his arrest has been dispiriting for their department, which relies on seasonal help during the busy summer months.
She said 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 said.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
Nick Stoico can be reached at
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