U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Maine arrested an illegally present Jamaican offender after he unlawfully attempted to purchase a firearm. Officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston in partnership with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives arrested Jon Luke Evans July 25 in Biddeford.
At the time of his arrest, Evans was employed as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.
“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 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 officers that he attempted to purchase the firearm for his employment as a police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. His attempt to purchase the firearm triggered an alert to ATF agents, who worked in coordination with ICE to make the arrest.
Evans lawfully entered the United States Sept. 24, 2023, at the Miami International Airport, in Florida. However, he violated the terms of his lawful admission when he overstayed his visa. Evans was scheduled to depart the U.S. October 1, 2023, but never boarded the flight.
In a very similar case in April, ICE officers in Falmouth arrested Gratien Milandou Wamba, an illegally present, 32-year-old citizen of Congo, who was working as a corrections officer. Officers with ICE Boston’s Scarborough, Maine sub office arrested Milandou Wamba for immigration violations after he allegedly illegally attempted to purchase a firearm.