Jon Luke Evans, a former reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine, has taken a stand. He has agreed to depart the United States voluntarily after being recently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Originally from Jamaica, Evans was arrested on July 25 during ICE’s dramatic racist surge of violent immigration enforcement nationwide. At the moment, he’s detained at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island.
ICE later verified Evans’s detention through its detainee lookup website, after it was first disclosed that he had overstayed his visa. He illegally tried to buy a firearm, which presents significant legal issues. Elise Chard, police chief for Old Orchard Beach, said that federal officials have determined that Evans was legally allowed to work in the country when he was hired. This detail was pulled straight from the department’s correspondence with federal officials.
Prior to his employment, the town of Old Orchard Beach submitted information regarding Evans through the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program. This has opened them up to criticism from all sides. Federal worker Tricia McLaughlin charged that the town had put a dangerous over-reliance on the E-Verify program. She indicated that the system is not 100 percent secure in determining an individual’s eligibility to work.
These challenges notwithstanding, Evans intends to voluntarily depart the country. Third, his voluntary departure means he gets to decide when to leave and at his own expense, which spares him the immediate risk of deportation. Chief Chard conceded that the city received multiple reports warning Evans planned to leave the country on her own accord.
“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.” – Elise Chard
The circumstances around Evans pose deeper and more systemic questions of the delicate nature of immigration enforcement and the obligation of local employers. At the same time, ICE is sharply increasing its enforcement actions. Communities can no longer ignore the detriment these actions have caused to their growing or existing workforce.