U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a police officer Thursday morning in the Chicago suburb of Hanover Park. The officer, identified as Radule Bojovic, is accused of being in the country illegally from Montenegro.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) states that Bojovic overstayed a tourist visa that expired a decade ago in 2015.
Bojovic was arrested during a “targeted enforcement action” by ICE in Illinois.
DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin strongly criticized the situation in a statement, saying, “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?” McLaughlin added that it is a felony for non-citizens to possess a firearm.
The Hanover Park Police Department had recently celebrated Bojovic’s career, announcing his graduation from the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy in an August social media post.
He was reportedly beginning intensive field training to serve the community.
The Hanover Park Police Department has been contacted for comment, as has Bojovic.
This arrest follows a similar high-profile case in September, where ICE agents arrested the superintendent of Iowa’s largest school district, who was accused of being in the country illegally since the early 2000s and was later charged with separate firearm offenses.
