Illegal migrant arrested by ICE while working as police officer in Maine agrees to self-deport

A former Maine police officer who has been detained for more than three weeks by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has agreed to self-deport. 

Jon-Luke Evans, a Jamaican national who worked as a reserve police officer in Old Orchard Beach, was taken into custody by ICE agents on July 25 and has been detained ever since.

But court records show an immigration judge has now granted him a voluntary departure, allowing him to leave the country on his own volition as soon as that day.

Under the voluntary departure, Evans is required to use his own money to leave the United States within a specific amount of time. 

By doing so, he avoids deportation and could potentially return to the United States sooner and more easily, WMTW reports. 

In order to secure a voluntary departure, Evans had to agree that he is not living in the United States legally, waive or withdraw any applications to remain in the country and show that he has the intention and the funds to leave the US.

He had entered the country legally onboard a plane at Miami International Airport in Florida in September 2023 on a weeklong visa, but he never returned home and wound up becoming a cop in the popular resort town, federal officials say.

Evans’ illegal status was ultimately uncovered after the reserve officer attempted to purchase a firearm that he told officials he needed for his job.

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