Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican-born reserve police officer for the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine, will return to Jamaica voluntarily after being detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) for over three weeks.
According to ICE, Evans was arrested following information that he had overstayed his visa and unlawfully attempted to purchase a firearm. His firearms purchase reportedly triggered an alert to ATF agents, prompting ICE's intervention. According to court records, Evans has been granted a pre-conclusion voluntary departure, a legal exit option that allows him to leave at his own expense within a defined timeline, thus avoiding the addition of a deportation order to his record.
@dailymail A former Maine police officer who has been detained for more than three weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has agreed to self-deport. Jon-Luke Evans, a Jamaican national who worked as a reserve police officer in Old Orchard Beach, was taken into custody by ICE agents on July 25 and has been detained ever since. But court records show an immigration judge has now granted him a voluntary departure, allowing him to leave the country on his own volition as soon as that day. Read the full story at Daily Mail #Maine #ICE #officer
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This pathway typically enables smoother future reentry, unlike formal removal. However, it requires the individual to withdraw any pending stay applications and affirm that they intend and can leave. ICE confirmed that Evans entered the U.S. legally via Miami International Airport on September 24, 2023, with a departure expected by October 1, 2023. His failure to leave constituted a visa overstay.
According to officials in Old Orchard Beach, Maine, Evans' immigration status was verified before he was hired and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported that he was authorized to work in the United States for approximately five more years. The police department also alleged that they validated Evans' Customs and Immigration Form I-766, which granted him legal employment in the United States until 2030.
The case put Old Orchard Beach town officials in the spotlight. Police Chief Elise Chard emphasized that the department had relied on federal assurances through DHS's E-Verify system to confirm Evans's employment eligibility. E-Verify is a website where businesses can check whether or not their employees have authorization to work in the U.S..
"The town reiterates its ongoing commitment to meeting all state and federal laws regarding employment. We will continue to rely on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify database to confirm employment eligibility," Chard said regarding the matter.
However, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin criticized the department's reliance on E‑Verify as "reckless," underscoring gaps in verification systems. Evans is expected to depart the U.S. imminently, given the judge's ruling allowing immediate departure.
Evans was being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island, but was transferred to an ICE facility in Burlington, Massachusetts. ICE has declined further comment regarding Evans's legal representation or the specifics of his departure timeline.
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