In a startling revelation, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operation has brought to light a significant flaw in the national vetting process. Following a similar incident in Maine, an officer from suburban Chicago has been detained by ICE, marking the second instance within three months where a law enforcement officer was discovered to be residing in the U.S. illegally.

On July 25, ICE reported that Jon Luke Evans, hailing from Jamaica, was taken into custody while serving as a reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine. He was apprehended after trying to illegally acquire a firearm. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Old Orchard Beach is categorized as a sanctuary area due to its noncompliance with federal immigration enforcement policies.

Federal authorities disclosed that on Thursday, Radule Bojovic, from Montenegro, was arrested while serving as a police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department during Operation Midway Blitz. This initiative focuses on illegal immigrants residing in Illinois, a state with sanctuary policies. Similar to Old Orchard Beach, Hanover Park is also recognized as a sanctuary jurisdiction.

The successive arrests of Evans and Bojovic, within a span of just three months and in sanctuary jurisdictions, underscore the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to remove undocumented immigrants from the country.

ICE officials revealed that Jamaican national Jon Luke Evans attempted to unlawfully acquire a firearm for his duties as a local police officer. (Old Orchard Beach Police Department Facebook)

According to ICE, both Evans and Bojovic originally entered the United States legally but remained past the expiration of their visas.

Evans, the agency said, entered the United States Sept. 24, 2023, at Miami International Airport. However, he violated the terms when he overstayed his visa. ICE said that he was scheduled to depart the U.S. Oct. 1, 2023, but never boarded the flight.

His arrest came when he went to purchase a gun, telling employees that he was a police officer. His attempt to purchase the gun triggered an alert to ATF agents, who worked in coordination with ICE to make the arrest.

Federal authorities said Bojovic was in the U.S. on a tourist visa that required him to depart by March 31, 2015. Over a decade later, he was still illegally in the U.S. As an officer, Bojovic was approved by the Pension Fund Board of Trustees in January 2025 and was eligible to receive a starting salary of $78,955.

Radule Bojovic, an illegal immigrant from Montenegro, was working as a sworn police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department before he was arrested, authorities said Thursday.   (Hanover Police Department Faceook)

Both police departments involved have defended their hiring practices and stopped short of accepting responsibility for the vetting failures that allowed the two men to serve as officers.

In Maine, Old Orchard Beach Police Chief Elise Chard said her department followed every legal step in hiring the Jamaican national, including submitting his paperwork through the federal E-Verify system, which confirmed his employment eligibility.

The department maintains that Evans presented valid work authorization documents and that DHS had cleared him to serve as a reserve officer. Officials say they were blindsided by the ICE arrest and only learned of it through a press release.

While the chief described the situation as “deeply concerning,” she attributed the breakdown to a possible federal error and said the department would review its procedures.

“Our department and our community relied on the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify program to ensure we were meeting our obligations,” said Chief Chard. “We are distressed and deeply concerned about this apparent error on the part of the federal government.”

At the time of his arrest, Jon Evans was employed as a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department. (Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE))

In Illinois, officials in the Village of Hanover Park issued a nearly identical defense after the arrest of the Montenegrin national, who had been working as a full-time police officer.

In a release, the department said Bojovic provided a valid work authorization card at the time of his hiring and passed both state and federal background checks. The department has placed him on administrative leave pending the outcome of his immigration case but has not conceded fault, insisting that all standard vetting protocols were followed.

Fox News Digital has reached out to ICE for comment.