Suburban Chicago cop arrested by ICE returns to duty

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By Renee Hickman

CHICAGO Dec 2 (Reuters) – A suburban Chicago police officer who was detained during a high-profile federal immigration enforcement surge in the area has returned to duty, his police department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Radule Bojovic, an officer with the Hanover Park Police Department, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents during “Operation Midway Blitz,” a months-long deportation campaign launched by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump in the Chicago area in September.

The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees ICE, announced Bojovic’s arrest with much fanfare in a press release on October 16, saying he had overstayed a tourist visa after arriving in the U.S. from Montenegro.

But the Hanover Park Police Department quickly responded with a statement saying Bojovic was working in the country legally, having presented a work authorization card and passed FBI and Illinois State Police background checks.

There was no immediate response to a request seeking comment from ICE.

Bojovic, who was held at a detention center in Brazil, Indiana, according to ICE’s online detainee locator, was released on bond on October 31, the Hanover Park Police Department said.

“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,” Deputy Chief Victor DiVito said in the statement.

DiVito said Bojovic would receive back pay for the time he was on leave during his detention.

DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin told Reuters as of November 19, ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers had arrested more than 4,200 people in the Chicago area during Operation Midway Blitz. 

(Reporting by Renee Hickman; Editing by Emily Schmall and Chris Reese)