CHICAGO – A Hanover Park police officer accused of living in the U.S. illegally has been arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement as part of a federal crackdown targeting sanctuary cities like Chicago.
What we know:
ICE said Thursday that agents arrested Radule Bojovic, a native of Montenegro, who was working as a sworn officer with the Hanover Park Police Department. Officials said Bojovic entered the U.S. on a tourist visa that expired in March 2015 and remained illegally for a decade.
The arrest came during Operation Midway Blitz, a DHS enforcement campaign launched in September to target undocumented immigrants with criminal records in the Chicago area.
According to DHS, Hanover Park Police Department records confirm Bojovic was approved by the Pension Fund Board of Trustees in January 2025 and eligible for a starting salary of $78,955.
View the Facebook post here
DHS said records also show his total earnings this year cost taxpayers $205,707, including $9,276 for FICA/Medicare taxes.
What they’re saying:
In a statement, DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin sharply criticized Illinois’ immigration policies.
“It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm. A law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law,” she said. “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, ICE is restoring law and order. Criminal illegal aliens have no place in our communities, especially on our police forces.”
FOX 32 has reached out to Hanover Park PD for comment on this story, and we’re waiting to hear back.
The backstory:
Illinois is a sanctuary state, limiting cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. The policy has been a frequent target of President Donald Trump and his administration’s immigration agenda.
Just last week, a federal judge in Illinois blocked the Trump administration from deploying National Guard troops to the Chicago area to assist ICE. The next hearing is scheduled for Oct. 22.
Gov. JB Pritzker has accused the Trump administration of acting illegally, saying ICE operations in Illinois are intended to cause mayhem.
“So this is a dangerous time,” Pritzker told FOX 32. “The President of the United States is causing mayhem in the grounds of our state. He is going after his political opponents. I don’t know why anybody would look at the situation and not recognize he’s moving toward an authoritarian regime in his own image.”
He added that state officials are exploring possible prosecutions of DHS personnel if they overstepped legal bounds.
The Source: The information in this story came from the Department of Homeland Security, the Hanover Park Police Department’s Facebook page, and previous FOX 32 reporting.
