U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested a suburban Chicago police officer who is accused of being in the country illegally, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Radule Bojovic, a native of Montenegro, was working as a sworn officer for the Hanover Park Police Department, according to DHS.
He was “encountered during a targeted enforcement action” as part of “Operation Midway Blitz,” a surge of immigration enforcement in Illinois that began last month, DHS said in a press release Thursday announcing the arrest.
Bojovic overstayed his tourist visa for 10 years and was required to leave the U.S. in March 2015, DHS said. The department also noted it is a felony for someone in the U.S. illegally to carry a firearm.
“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,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “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?”
The Village of Hanover Park said its police department hired Bojovic in January “in full compliance with federal and state law” and that the village “confirmed that he was legally authorized by the federal government to work in the United States.”
According to a statement from the village, Bojovic presented a valid work authorization issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of his hiring, a full background check was conducted, and the village confirmed that his immigration status allows him to carry a firearm while on duty.
“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,” the statement said.
“Additionally, the Village has not received any notice from any federal or state agency that his work authorization status has ever been revoked,” the statement added.
Bojovic has been placed on administrative leave amid the immigration proceedings and will be returned to full duty status if he is allowed to remain in the U.S., the village said.
Online ICE detainee records indicate Bojovic is currently in custody, but do not state where he is being held. It is unclear when or where he was arrested.
Bojovic was accepted into the Hanover Park Police Pension Fund in January with a starting salary of nearly $79,000, according to village records.
He graduated from the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy in August, according to a social media post by the Hanover Park Police Department.
A swearing-in presentation for Bojovic was set to occur during a Village of Hanover Park board meeting on Thursday evening, according to the agenda. Village President Rodney Craig addressed the officer’s arrest at the top of the meeting, saying it is “of interest to many in our community” and comes amid ongoing immigration enforcement activity in the region.
Craig said he had the “utmost confidence” that the hiring of Bojovic was appropriate.
“First and foremost, the village and the police department conducted its own thorough due diligence as part of this hiring process, as is the case with the hiring of all police officers,” he said.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reacted to the arrest on social media, saying, “Radical sanctuary politicians have allowed criminal illegal aliens to infiltrate our school districts, communities, and even police departments. President Trump and I will continue to put the safety of Americans FIRST.”
