ICE arrests police officer for trying to buy gun

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers in Maine arrested a Jamaican migrant without legal status after he allegedly tried to purchase a firearm unlawfully.

Jon Luke Evans was employed as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department at the time of his arrest on July 25 in Biddeford,

Newsweek reached out to the Old Orchard Beach Police Department for comment via email.

Why It Matters

President Donald Trump has pledged to deport millions of undocumented immigrants. The White House has said anyone living in the country illegally is a criminal. Critics argue that the immigration raids sow fear into vulnerable communities.

What To Know

Evans admitted that he attempted to purchase the firearm for use in his role as a police officer, according to ICE. The attempted purchase triggered an alert to Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents, who coordinated with ICE to carry out the arrest.

Evans lawfully entered the United States on September 24, 2023, through Miami International Airport but overstayed his visa. He was scheduled to depart on October 1, 2023, but did not board the flight, ICE said in a press release.

“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,” said ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde.

The arrest involved cooperation between ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Boston and the ATF.

This case follows a similar arrest in April, when ICE agents in Falmouth detained Gratien Milandou Wamba, a migrant without legal status from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who was working as a corrections officer. Milandou Wamba was arrested after allegedly attempting to purchase a firearm illegally.

What People Are Saying

ICE ERO Boston acting Field Office Director Patricia H. Hyde said in a statement: “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.”

What Happens Next

Evans remains in federal custody following his arrest, pending removal proceedings from the United States back to Jamaica.