By PATRICK WHITTLE
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine (AP) — A Maine police officer arrested by immigration authorities has agreed to voluntarily depart the nation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement stated Monday.
ICE arrested Outdated Orchard Seaside Police Division reserve Officer Jon Luke Evans, of Jamaica, on July 25, as a part of the company’s effort to step up immigration enforcement. Officers with the city and police division have stated federal authorities beforehand informed them Evans was legally approved to work within the U.S.
An ICE consultant reached by phone informed The Related Press on Monday {that a} decide has granted voluntary departure for Evans and that he might depart as quickly as that day. The consultant didn’t present different particulars about Evans’ case.
Evans’ arrest touched off a dispute between Outdated Orchard Seaside officers and ICE. Police Chief Elise Chard has stated the division was notified by federal officers that Evans was legally permitted to work within the nation, and that the city submitted data through the Division of Homeland Safety’s E-Confirm program previous to Evans’ employment. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Safety Tricia McLaughlin then accused the city of “reckless reliance” on the division’s E-Confirm program.
E-Confirm is an internet system that permits employers to verify if potential staff can work legally within the U.S.
The city is conscious of experiences that Evans plans to depart the nation voluntarily, Chard stated Monday.
“The city reiterates its ongoing dedication to assembly all state and federal legal guidelines relating to employment,” Chard stated in a press release. “We are going to proceed to depend on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification kind and the E-Confirm database to substantiate employment eligibility.”
ICE’s detainee lookup web site stated Monday that Evans was being held on the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island. Nevertheless, a consultant for Wyatt stated Evans had been transferred to an ICE facility in Burlington, Massachusetts. ICE officers didn’t reply to requests for touch upon the discrepancy. It was unclear if Evans was represented by an legal professional, and a message left for him on the detention facility was not returned.
ICE officers stated in July that Evans overstayed his visa and unlawfully tried to buy a firearm. WMTW-TV reported Monday that Evans’ settlement to a voluntary departure means he will likely be allowed to depart the U.S. at his personal expense to keep away from being deported.
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