An arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in suburban Chicago has surfaced yet another significant oversight in the country’s vetting system, following a similar incident in Maine. This marks at least the second occurrence in a three-month span where an armed law enforcement officer was found to be residing in the U.S. unlawfully.

Back on July 25, ICE detained Jon Luke Evans, a Jamaican national, who was serving as a reserve officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department in Maine. His arrest came after an illegal attempt to purchase a firearm. According to the Department of Homeland Security, Old Orchard Beach is labeled a sanctuary jurisdiction due to its non-compliance with federal immigration enforcement directives.

In a similar scenario, Radule Bojovic from Montenegro, who was working as a police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department, was apprehended during Operation Midway Blitz. This operation targets undocumented immigrants residing in Illinois as a result of the state’s sanctuary policies, federal officials disclosed. Like Old Orchard Beach, Hanover Park is also recognized as a sanctuary jurisdiction.

The consecutive arrests of Evans and Bojovic, both occurring within three months in sanctuary areas, underscore the Trump administration’s persistent efforts to remove undocumented individuals from the country.

ICE representatives reported that Jon Luke Evans attempted to illegally purchase a firearm for his duties as a police officer in Old Orchard Beach. (Source: Old Orchard Beach Police Department Facebook)

ICE said that both Evans and Bojovic initially entered the U.S. legally, but both overstayed 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.