Hanover Park police officer arrested by ICE returns to duty
A Hanover Park police officer who was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in October has returned to duty, as he awaits the outcome of his immigration case.
Radule Bojovic, 25, was arrested by ICE on Oct. 15, accused of overstaying a tourist visa by more than a decade, but the village has insisted the federal government had authorized him to work as a police officer.
Bojovic was released on $2,500 bond on Oct. 31, and on Tuesday, the Hanover Park Police Department said he has returned to full duty status.
"Given that his bond was not contested and he remains authorized to work by the federal government, the Hanover Park Police Department determined that he may return to work," Hanover Park police said.
Bojovich's first shift back on duty was on Monday, and the village said it will provide him back pay for the time he was on leave since his arrest.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has said Bojovich, who is from Montenegro, was living in the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired on March 31, 2015.
DHS also criticized the Village of Hanover Park for employing Bojovich as a police officer, saying it was illegal for him to possess a firearm.
However, Hanover Park officials said he was hired in January "in full compliance with federal and state law."
"Before hiring Officer Bojovic, the Village confirmed that he was legally authorized by the federal government to work in the United States. 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," the Hanover Park Police Department said in a statement at the time of Bojovic's arrest.
Police also said Bojovich passed a criminal background check with the FBI and Illinois State Police, and that a memo from the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives on Jan. 5, 2024, confirmed 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 leaglly 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the Village has not received any notice from any federal or state agency that his work authorization status has ever been revoked," police added.