A Jamaican national living in the United States illegally has been arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after authorities discovered he was employed as a police officer in Maine and had illegally attempted to purchase a firearm, ICE confirmed to Fox News.
Jon Luke Evans, who entered the U.S. legally but overstayed his visa, was taken into custody after an attempted gun purchase triggered an alert to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). ICE officials say Evans, who had been working for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine, admitted to trying to buy the firearm in connection with his law enforcement duties.
BREAKING: ICE confirms to @FoxNews they’ve arrested a Jamaican illegal alien who is employed as a police officer in Maine after he illegally attempted to buy a gun, which triggered an alert to ATF.
ICE says Jon Luke Evans, who is in the U.S. illegally as a visa overstay, was… pic.twitter.com/FfQWH0vH5V
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) July 28, 2025
According to ICE, Evans arrived in the United States via Miami International Airport on September 24, 2023, and was scheduled to depart on October 1, 2023. However, he failed to board his outbound flight and has remained in the country unlawfully ever since.
ICE’s Boston Field Office, which conducted the arrest, sharply criticized Evans’ hiring and the actions of the police department involved.
“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 Patricia Hyde, ICE Boston’s Field Office Director, in a statement to Fox News.
“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,” Hyde continued. “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.”
This case has sparked immediate questions about background check procedures and oversight within law enforcement hiring practices, particularly in municipalities responsible for enforcing immigration and firearms laws.
Thank you for visiting