Durrant Pate/Contributor

A Jamaican-born Old Orchard Beach police officer arrested by immigration authorities has agreed to voluntarily leave the country, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is reporting.

Reserve Officer Jon Luke Evans was arrested by ICE on July 25, as part of the agency’s effort to step up immigration enforcement. Old Orchard Beach is a resort town in York County of Maine. 

WMTW-TV is reporting that Evans’ agreement to a voluntary departure means he will be allowed to leave the US at his own expense to avoid being deported. On Monday, a judge granted voluntary departure for Evans so that he could leave as soon as that day. 

No other details about Evans’ case were provided, nor whether he left for Jamaica. Officials with the town and police department have said federal authorities previously told them Evans was legally authorised to work in the US. 

Dispute between Old Orchard Beach officials and ICE

The Associated Press reports that Evans’ arrest touched off a dispute between Old Orchard Beach officials and ICE, where Police Chief Elise Chard reported that his department was notified by federal officials that Evans was legally permitted to work in the country. In addition, the town submitted information via the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify programme prior to his employment. 

E-Verify is an online system that allows employers to check if potential employees can work legally in the US. However, Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin accused the town of “reckless reliance” on the department’s E-Verify programme.

The town is aware of reports that Evans plans to leave the country voluntarily, Chard explained. According to him, “the town reiterates its ongoing commitment to meeting all state and federal laws regarding employment. We will continue to rely on the I-9 Employment Eligibility Verification form and the E-Verify database to confirm employment eligibility.”

ICE’s detainee lookup website said Monday that Evans was being held at the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls, Rhode Island. However, a representative for Wyatt said Evans had been transferred to an ICE facility in Burlington, Massachusetts. 

ICE officials did not respond to requests from The Associated Press for comment on the discrepancy. It was unclear if Evans was represented by an attorney, and there was no response to a message left for him at the detention facility. 

ICE officials report that in July that Evans overstayed his visa and unlawfully attempted to purchase a firearm.