Maine Town Denies It Did Not Properly Vet Reserve Officer Arrested By Ice

A Maine edifice municipality is challenging nan Trump administration’s disapproval of its constabulary section after a seasonal reserve serviceman was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement past week. The incident is putting renewed attraction connected nan accuracy of E-Verify, nan strategy nan national authorities created for employers to cheque if prospective labor person ineligible authorization to activity successful nan United States.

Federal migration officials person asserted that nan Old Orchard Beach Police Department either “knowingly” hired an unauthorized migrant arsenic a reserve serviceman aliases did not do capable independent verification of nan man’s status. The section has said it thoroughly checked nan inheritance of Jon-Luke Evans, and he was approved to activity location arsenic an serviceman successful May done nan Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify Program.

ICE said it arrested Evans, a Jamaican citizen, past Friday aft he unlawfully attempted to bargain a firearm, triggering an alert pinch nan Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which worked pinch ICE to make nan arrest. ICE said that Evans overstayed a visa that required him to time off successful October 2023. But nan town's constabulary section said E-verify cleared Evans' activity eligibility until March of 2030.

“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department follows each of nan pre-employment guidelines expected of an employer successful nan State of Maine and successful nan U.S., and we are providing this further accusation successful consequence to statements made by definite national agencies that only activity to undermine nationalist spot and assurance successful municipal rule enforcement,” nan town's manager, Diana Asanza, said successful a associated connection pinch nan constabulary section connected Wednesday evening.

“Today, nan Department of Homeland Security doubled down connected its attack, but successful doing truthful has thrown its ain physics verification strategy into question. If we should not spot nan connection of nan national machine strategy that verifies documents and employment eligibility, what bully is that system?” Asanza said.

The Maine coastal municipality of Old Orchard Beach has a organization of astir 9,000.WBTS

The associated connection came aft DHS said earlier Wednesday that utilizing E-Verify “does not absolve employers of their ineligible work to verify archiving authenticity, and each employers should return basal steps to efficaciously verify ineligible employment status.”

“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department’s reckless reliance connected E-Verify to warrant arming an forbidden alien, Jon Luke Evans, violates national law, and does not absolve them of their nonaccomplishment to behaviour basal inheritance checks to verify ineligible status,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said successful nan statement.

McLaughlin besides defended nan E-Verify system, saying it “is a proven, no-cost instrumentality that delivers precocious accuracy successful verifying activity authorization by cross-checking worker documents against authorities databases to combat rampant archive fraud and protecting American workers.”

E-Verify is operated by nan Department of Homeland Security successful business pinch nan Social Security Administration.

After McLaughlin issued nan DHS statement, Old Orchard Beach released a connection of its ain detailing nan steps it took to verify Evans' migration position and eligibility to work.

The municipality said that earlier nan constabulary section hired Evans, it compiled a 153-page unit record connected him that included inheritance checks, driving records, copies of recognition cards, acquisition and aesculapian records, and individual references.

Evans provided required accusation including an I-9 national migration and activity authorization form, arsenic good arsenic his Jamaican commencement certificate, Massachusetts driver’s license, U.S. societal information card, activity authorization card, among different documents, according to nan statement.

“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department thoroughly checked Mr. Evans’ inheritance and verified that each accusation and archiving he provided was accurate. The extent of his unit record shows nan diligence nan Town takes successful hiring,” Police Chief Elise Chard said.

It said it past submitted Evans’ forms to DHS’ E-Verify program, and successful May nan national agency verified Evans’ position and said he was authorized to activity legally done March 19, 2030.

“Evans would not person been permitted to statesman activity successful Old Orchard Beach without DHS verifying his status. The national authorities has aggressively pushed each employers — authorities and backstage — to trust connected E-Verify successful nan hiring process,” nan municipality and constabulary section said.

“Simply stated, had nan national authorities flagged his accusation nan Town would not person hired Mr. Evans,” Chard said. “Any insinuation that nan Town and Department were derelict successful our efforts to verify Mr. Evans’ eligibility to activity for nan Town is mendacious and appears to beryllium an effort to displacement nan blasted onto a hard-working section rule enforcement agency that has done its job.”

The policed released 54 pages of his unit file, which NBC News has reviewed, showing records related to his constabulary section exertion process, which authorities that employment is conditional upon a inheritance check, nan submission of mandatory paperwork, supplier screening and mandatory training sessions. The records besides show Evans was required to supply 2 valid forms of ID for payroll processing and that he passed each of his training sessions earlier he was approved to activity arsenic a reserve officer. The documents besides see Evans’ résumé and acquisition records.

DHS did not respond to requests for remark connected nan Old Orchard Beach municipality and constabulary section statement. It besides did not stock what steps and methods, beyond E-Verify, it suggests section constabulary departments and different employers usage to independently verify an migrant applicant’s ineligible position and activity authorization.

ICE had accused nan constabulary section of “knowingly breaking nan law” and hiring an migrant successful nan state illegally. The constabulary section denied nan claim, saying nan national government’s ain strategy had approved nan man to activity arsenic a reserve officer.

Rep. Lori K. Gramlich, a Democrat who represents Old Orchard Beach successful nan state’s House of Representatives, said successful a connection to NBC News connected Thursday that successful ray of nan conflicting accounts, she was calling for a thorough national reappraisal of E-Verify and DHS’ authorization process “that allowed Officer Evans to statesman activity successful bully religion successful May 2025.

“This incident highlights nan value and necessity of reliable national systems to support nan lawful employment of noncitizen residents successful community-serving roles,” she said. “We must do amended to forestall specified situations successful nan future, protect organization spot and guarantee fairness and accountability.”

Maine is 1 of astir a twelve states that allow noncitizens to activity successful rule enforcement. Some require nan migrant to beryllium a green-card holder, while others, specified arsenic Maine, require nan migrant to beryllium legally authorized to activity successful nan U.S.

The municipality has said that its constabulary department, for illustration galore successful coastal communities, uses a seasonal supplementary workforce erstwhile nan organization surges successful nan summertime months.

Maine has immoderate 34,000 migrant workers, aliases 4.6% of nan state’s labour force, according to nan American Immigration Council. There are besides an estimated 5,800 unauthorized immigrants of moving property successful nan state, according to nan council.