ICE Agents Arrest Police Officer Who’s Been Living in US Illegally for a Decade  

Federal immigration officials have arrested a police officer in a Chicago suburb who was living in the U.S. illegally.  

Radule Bojovic, an illegal alien from Montenegro, recently began working for the Hanover Park, Illinois, Police Department, according to an August social media post from the department congratulating the officer on graduating from a law enforcement program. Bojovic overstayed his visa, which expired in 2015, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Montenegro is a Balkan country in Southeastern Europe.

When he was arrested, Bojovic presented officers with an ID showing that he is an employee of the police department, according to ICE. He did not have a firearm on him, but told officers he is only allowed to carry his firearm while on duty.  

“Illegal aliens are prohibited from owning or possessing firearms—full stop,” ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Chicago Field Office Director Sam Olson said.  

“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,” Olson continued. “It is alarming how local jurisdictions continue to disregard federal law to the detriment of their communities.” 

Bojovic was earning an annual salary of $78,955, according to the Department of Homeland Security. 

“The fact that a police department either missed or overlooked a B-2 [visitor visa] overstay, which is a federal statute, to me that’s not a good thing,” an immigration officer told Ben Bergquam of Real America’s Voice News in an exclusive interview. 

“How long have you been a police officer?” an ICE agent can be heard asking Bojovic upon his arrest.  

“Since Jan. 8,” Bojovic says, adding that he “just finished the academy.”  

Bojovic confirmed to Real America’s Voice News that he was allowed to carry a firearm while on duty.  

“The Hanover Park Police Department hired Officer Bojovic in January 2025 in full compliance with federal and state law,” the Hanover Park Police Department said in a statement Thursday afternoon.

“Before hiring Officer Bojovic, the Village confirmed that he was legally authorized by the federal government to work in the United States,” the police department continued. “At the time of his hire, Officer Bojovic presented the Village with a Work Authorization Card, which was issued by the federal government’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. The card was valid and recently renewed. We also conducted a full background check, including his criminal history with both the Illinois State Police and the FBI.”

“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. Additionally, the Village has not received any notice from any federal or state agency that his work authorization status has ever been revoked,” the police department said, adding that they had also confirmed “that his immigration status allows him to carry a firearm while on duty.”

Bojovic has been placed on administrative leave, according to the police department.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem criticized Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, a Democrat, following the news of the arrest, calling him “completely corrupt.”  

“Radical sanctuary politicians have allowed criminal illegal aliens to infiltrate our school districts, communities, and even police departments,” Noem said.  

Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.  

Illinois is a sanctuary state, meaning that local and state law enforcement are restricted from cooperating with federal immigration officials.  

The Trump administration is currently carrying out a targeted immigration enforcement operation called Operation Midway Blitz in Illinois. The operation is specifically targeting criminal illegal aliens who have fled to Illinois due to the state’s sanctuary policies, DHS announced in September.  

The operation has been met with protests in Chicago that have grown violent at times.  

Federal Judge Sara Ellis of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, an appointee of President Barack Obama, issued a temporary restraining order last week restricting federal immigration enforcement officials from using certain crowd-control methods, such as types of gas and chemical irritants, “on members of the press, protesters, or religious practitioners who are not posing an immediate threat to the safety of a law enforcement officer or others.”  

Following concerns that immigration officials were not abiding by the temporary restraining order, Ellis on Thursday ordered agents to wear body cameras while conducting activities that are part of Operation Midway Blitz.  

Editor’s Note: This piece was updated after publication to include comments from the Hanover Park Police Department.

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