On October 17, 2025, the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested a police officer in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, accusing him of being an illegal immigrant from Montenegro.
The US Department of Homeland Security announced in a press release on Thursday that the ICE agents had apprehended Radule Bojovic, an illegal immigrant from Montenegro, employed at the Hanover Park Police Department in Illinois, who was a sworn police officer with a badge, firearm, and retirement benefits.
Bojovic was caught in a targeted enforcement operation called “Operation Midway Blitz”. This operation initiated by the Department of Homeland Security in early September targeted illegal immigrants with criminal records in Chicago.
According to the press release, Bojovic entered the US on a B2 tourist visa and was supposed to leave the country before March 31, 2015. However, he overstayed his visa and remained illegally in the US for over a decade.
Records from the Hanover Park Police Department confirmed that in January 2025, Bojovic was approved to receive a retirement pension amounting to $78,955.70 in the future. Other records showed that his total pay in 2025 cost American taxpayers $205,707, including $9,276 in federal payroll taxes. Since police officers are government employees, the wages paid by the government employer for funding social security and federal health insurance plans are ultimately paid by taxpayers.
Tricia McLaughlin, spokesperson and Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, accusing him of allowing violent illegal foreigners to roam freely in Illinois communities and even letting illegal foreigners serve as sworn police officers.
McLaughlin further stated, “Radule Bojovic has violated our country’s laws by illegally residing in the US for a decade – what kind of police department gives badges and firearms to criminal illegal foreigners?” She continued, “For a foreigner, even possessing a firearm is a serious offense. A so-called law enforcement officer is actively breaking the law.”
“Under the leadership of President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is restoring law and order. Criminal illegal foreigners have no place in our communities, especially not within the police force,” McLaughlin concluded.
Bojovic is not the only illegal immigrant who has been found in significant public positions. Last month, ICE arrested Ian Roberts, the Director of Education at the largest school district in Iowa, on federal charges of illegal possession of firearms, with federal prosecutors formally indicting him earlier this month.