An illegal immigrant living in Illinois worked as a sworn police officer before his arrest during Operation Midway Blitz, a targeted enforcement action initiated by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to apprehend illegal immigrants in the Prairie State.
Radule Bojovic, an immigrant from Montenegro, was an officer with the Hanover Park Police Department, according to a DHS announcement. Bojovic was required to leave the United States in March 2015 after his B2 tourist visa expired, but he continued living in the country unlawfully until his arrest.
The federal agency cited a report summarizing the Hanover Park Police Department’s January meeting, showing that Bojovic had been accepted into the Hanover Park Police Pension Fund.
The Montenegro native’s acceptance into the pension fund made him eligible for a starting salary of $78,995.70, according to the report. Additional records cited by the DHS showed that Bojovic’s total salary in 2025 was $205,707, paid by taxpayers.
Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at the DHS, pointed the blame for the situation at Illinois Democratic Gov. J.B. Pritzker and the state’s sanctuary city policies.
“Governor J.B. Pritzker doesn’t just allow violent illegal aliens to terrorize Illinois’s communities, he allows illegal aliens to work as sworn police officers. Radule Bojovic violated our nation’s laws and was living ILLEGALLY in the United States for 10 years — what kind of police department gives criminal illegal aliens badges and guns? It’s a felony for aliens to even possess a firearm,” McLaughlin said in a statement.
“A so-called law enforcement officer who is actively breaking the law,” McLaughlin added. “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.”
When contacted by The Christian Post, the Hanover Park Police Department pointed to the Village of Hanover Park’s Thursday statement, which said the department acted “in full compliance with federal and state law” when it hired Bojovic in January.
At the time of his hire, the village said that Bojovic presented a valid Work Authorization Card issued by the federal government’s U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, noting that the card had been recently renewed.
“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,” the village’s statement reads.
“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 statement continued.
“Further, the Village also confirmed, based on a memorandum issued by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives on January 5, 2024, that his immigration status allowed him to carry a firearm while on duty,” the Village added.
Bojovic has been placed on administrative leave, the village confirmed. He is expected to return to active duty status if he is allowed to remain in the U.S. and work after the immigration proceedings are over.
Pritzker’s office did not immediately respond to The Christian Post’s request for comment.
Operation Midway Blitz, the initiative under which Bojovic was arrested, began in September in honor of Katie Abraham, a 20-year-old girl who was killed in a hit-and-run in Urbana, Illinois, earlier this year by a Guatemalan national who was in the country illegally.
According to a January report from the Urbana Police Department, the Guatemalan national, Julio Cucul Bol, initially used the alias Juan JaHaziel Saenz-Suarez. Bol was charged with two counts of leaving the scene of a personal injury crash resulting in death, two counts of reckless homicide and aggravated driving under the influence resulting in death.
In a September statement announcing the launch of Operation Midway Blitz, McLaughlin asserted that Abraham was killed “by a criminal illegal alien who should have never been in our country.”
“For years, Governor Pritzker and his fellow sanctuary politicians released Tren de Aragua gang members, rapists, kidnappers, and drug traffickers on Chicago’s streets — putting American lives at risk and making Chicago a magnet for criminals. President Trump and Secretary Noem have a clear message: no city is a safe haven for criminal illegal aliens,” she added.
“If you come to our country illegally and break our laws, we will hunt you down, arrest you, deport you, and you will never return.”
Pritzker defended Illinois’ sanctuary laws when he testified before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee in April. The Illinois governor testified alongside Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
“Illinois follows the law, but we expect the federal government to follow the law as well,” Pritzker stated, calling for “[s]afe and compassionate immigration policies.”
“As I have consistently said, violent criminals have no place on our streets, and if they are undocumented, I want them out of Illinois and out of our country,” he added.
Samantha Kamman is a reporter for The Christian Post. She can be reached at: samantha.kamman@christianpost.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Samantha_Kamman
