OLD ORCHARD BEACH – The Town of Old Orchard Beach and the Old Orchard Beach Police Department share the following information regarding the ongoing incident concerning the detention of a Seasonal Reserve Officer by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Jon-Luke Evans applied for a position as a Seasonal Reserve Officer in early April 2025. Seasonal Reserve Officers provide support to the department, community service and beach/bicycle patrols. The department, like many in coastal communities, relies on seasonal supplementary workforce each year when the populations swell in the warmer months.
During the hiring process, the Town of Old Orchard Beach compiled a 153-page personnel file on Evans consisting of background check documents, driving records, copies of identification cards, educational records, references, medical records and much more.
“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department thoroughly checked Mr. Evans’ background and verified that all information and documentation he provided was accurate. The depth of his personnel file shows the diligence the Town takes in hiring,” Police Chief Elise Chard said.
As part of his application Evans provided required information including an I-9 federal immigration and work authorization form, and a resume. He also provided the following documents to Human Resources:
- Jamaican birth certificate
- Driver’s license
- Jamaican passport
- U.S. Social Security card
- U.S. Work Authorization (Employment Authorization Document) Card
- Proof of college credit
The Town of Old Orchard Beach followed its standing hiring policies and procedures, including:
- Checking Maine criminal history databases
- Checking the Interstate Identification Index, a national index of state and federal criminal histories that is maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) at the National Crime Information Center (NCIC)
- Confirming Evans held a valid driver’s license and proof of insurance
- Checking professional and personal references
The Town verified that all documentation Evans provided was authentic.
The State of Maine is one of more than a dozen states in the U.S. that allows noncitizen residents to work in law enforcement.
“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department does not knowingly employ undocumented immigrants or those living in the country unlawfully, and we go to great lengths to verify the employment eligibility of all applicants,” Chief Chard said. “To assert otherwise about our police department is simply not true or accurate.”
Evans passed a physical fitness test on April 21, which included meeting required goals for push-ups, sit-ups and a 1.5-mile run. He successfully completed the Maine Criminal Justice Academy ALERT test, which ensures candidates have the comprehension and writing skills needed to succeed in law enforcement.
He also passed a health exam and drug test.
The Department then submitted Evans’ I-9 form to the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify Program to confirm his immigration status and work eligibility. DHS reported Evans’ status on May 12, 2025, as “Alien Authorized to Work.”
DHS validated Evans’ Customs and Immigration Form I-766 (Employment Authorization Document) showing he could hold legal employment through March 19, 2030. This information matches the EAD card Evans presented to the Town as part of his application.
Evans would not have been permitted to begin work in Old Orchard Beach without DHS verifying his status. The federal government has aggressively pushed all employers – government and private – to rely on E-Verify in the hiring process.
“Simply stated, had the federal government flagged his information the Town would not have hired Mr. Evans,” Chief Chard said. “Any insinuation that the Town and Department were derelict in our efforts to verify Mr. Evans’ eligibility to work for the Town is false and appears to be an attempt to shift the blame onto a hard-working local law enforcement agency that has done its job.”
“The Old Orchard Beach Police Department follows all of the pre-employment guidelines expected of an employer in the State of Maine and in the U.S., and we are providing this additional information in response to statements made by certain federal agencies that only work to undermine public trust and confidence in municipal law enforcement,” Town Manager Diana Asanza said. “Today, the Department of Homeland Security doubled down on its attack, but in doing so has thrown its own electronic verification system into question. If we should not trust the word of the federal computer system that verifies documents and employment eligibility, what good is that system?”
In the interest of full transparency, the Town and Police Department have released 54 pages of Mr. Evans’ 153-page personnel file that comply with 1 M.R.S. 402(3), 30-A M.R.S. 2702 and federal E-Verify regulations regarding public access to personnel records. Requests for such records can be made through the Town’s Public Access Officer, Fran Beaulieu, at fbeaulieu@oobmaine.com.
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