A police officer from a Chicago suburb was taken by surprise when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested him after uncovering his illegal residency status in the United States.

Radule Bojovic, who hails from Montenegro, was off duty when ICE agents approached and detained him in a parking lot in Chicago on Thursday morning.

Bojovic, who professes a deep affection for the United States, acknowledged to the agents that he had been serving as a sworn officer with the Hanover Park Police Department since January.

His arrest was part of Operation Midway Blitz, a federal initiative aimed at removing high-priority criminal illegal immigrants from Illinois, particularly in the Chicago area.

The Department of Homeland Security revealed that Bojovic had overstayed a B-2 tourist visa, which required him to leave the U.S. by March 31, 2015.

However, he was ‘still illegally’ in the country more than a decade later.

Ben Bergquam, founder of FrontlineAmerica.com and host of Law & Border on Real America’s Voice News, was on the scene during Bojovic’s arrest and captured the moment he was cuffed by ICE officers. 

When Bergquam asked Bojovic how long he had been a police officer, he replied: ‘January 8 [2025]’. 

Bojovic confirmed that when he was hired, he had provided work authorization documents and advised that he was able to carry a firearm on-duty. 

Radule Bojovic of Montenegro was working as a sworn police officer with the Hanover Park Police Department

ICE arrested Bojovic on Wednesday, alleging he had overstayed his B-2 visa by more than a decade

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, blasted Illinois governor JB Pritzker for allowing ‘violent illegal aliens’ into Illinois.

She said: ‘Governor J.B. Pritzker doesn’t just allow violent illegal aliens to terrorize Illinois’s communities, he allows illegal aliens to work as sworn police officers.

‘Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years—what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns?

‘It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm. A so-called law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law.’

ICE said Bojovic had no weapons on him at the time of his arrest since he was only authorized to carry a firearm while on duty.

Bojovic also provided his employee identification card and confirmed that he was a Hanover Park Police Department police officer.

Bojovic was approved by the Pension Fund Board of Trustees in January 2025 and was eligible to receive a starting salary of $78,955.70, per the DHS. 

A Facebook post from the police department said Bojovic had graduated on August 22 from the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy and would begin an ‘intensive’ 15 weeks of field training and evaluation. 

Hanover Park is a Chicago suburb, about an hour away from the Windy City.

Tricia McLaughlin, the DHS assistant secretary, blasted JB Pritzker for allowing ‘violent illegal aliens to terrorize’ Illinois

Bojovic’s arrest took place during Operation Midway Blitz, the DHS said

Additional police records said his 2025 earnings were $205,707, including $9,276 for FICA/Medicare taxes.

The Village of Hanover Park said Bojovic had been hired in January 2025 ‘in full compliance with federal and state law.’

Bogovic had legal work authorization from the federal government prior to hiring him, a statement from the village claimed.

A full background check was also conducted.

The village said: ‘The bottom line is that all information we received from the federal government indicated that Officer Bojovic is legally authorized to work in the United States as a police officer. Clearly, without that authorization, the Village would not have hired him.’

Hanover Park had not received ‘any notice from any federal or state agency’ that Bojovic’s work authorization had been revoked.

The village said Bojovic had been placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of his immigration proceedings.  

He will be ‘returned to full duty status’ if allowed to stay and work in the US.

The Village of Hanover Park said Bojovic had been hired ‘in full compliance with federal and state law’

The Montenegro native will be ‘returned to full duty status’ if allowed to stay and work in the US

ICE called Bojovic’s arrest the ‘latest instance of Governor JB Pritzker’s continued refusal to abide by federal laws.’

Sam Olson, the field office director for ICE’s office in Chicago, said: ‘Illegal aliens are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms — full stop.

‘This is the second known instance in recent months of a local police department hiring an illegal alien and unlawfully issuing him a firearm while on duty in violation of federal law.

‘It is alarming how local jurisdictions continue to disregard federal law to the detriment of their communities.’

In July, ICE officers in Maine arrested Jon Luke Evans from Jamaica and accused him of unlawfully attempting to buy a firearm.

Evans was a reserve police officer with the Old Orchard Beach Police Department.

He admitted he was trying to purchase the firearm for his job as a police officer, ICE said.