Maine police officer detained by Ice agrees to leave US
Ice arrested the Old Orchard Beach police department reserve officer Jon Luke Evans, of Jamaica, on 25 July, as part of the agency's effort to step up immigration enforcement. Officials with the town and police department have said federal authorities previously told them Evans was legally authorized to work in the US.
An Ice representative reached by telephone told the Associated Press on Monday that a judge has granted voluntary departure for Evans and that he could leave as soon as that day. The representative did not provide other details about Evans's case.
Evans's arrest touched off a dispute between Old Orchard Beach officials and Ice. The police chief, Elise Chard, has said the department was notified by federal officials that Evans was legally permitted to work in the country, and that the town submitted information via the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s E-Verify program before Evans's employment. Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of homeland security, then accused the town of 'reckless reliance' on the department's E-Verify program.
E-Verify is an online system that allows employers to check if potential employees can work legally in the US.
The town was aware of reports that Evans plans to leave the country voluntarily, Chard said on Monday.
'The town reiterates its ongoing commitment to meeting all state and federal laws regarding employment,' Chard said in a statement. 'We will continue to rely on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify database to confirm employment eligibility.'
Ice's detainee lookup website said on Monday that Evans was being held at the Donald W Wyatt detention facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island. However, a representative for Wyatt said Evans had been transferred to an Ice facility in Burlington, Massachusetts. Ice officials did not respond to requests for comment on the discrepancy. It was unclear if Evans was represented by an attorney, and a message left for him at the detention facility was not returned.
Ice officials said in July that Evans overstayed his visa and unlawfully attempted to buy a firearm. The Maine news outlet WMTW reported Monday that Evans's agreement to a voluntary departure means he will be allowed to leave the US at his own expense to avoid being deported.
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