❓WHAT HAPPENED: A Liberian national, Morris Brown, was arrested for allegedly committing immigration fraud and falsely claiming U.S. citizenship to secure employment and military service.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Morris Brown, United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the Minnesota Department of Corrections.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Brown was apprehended on January 15, with investigations spanning multiple years in Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
💬KEY QUOTE: “This alien tried every trick in the book to remain in the United States after losing legal status. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure he faces justice for his many violations of the law.” – USCIS Director Joseph Edlow
🎯IMPACT: The arrest highlights ongoing federal efforts to combat immigration fraud and prevent illegal immigrants from holding sensitive positions in law enforcement and corrections.
The Trump administration has arrested Morris Brown, a 45-year-old Liberian national, on multiple immigration-fraud charges after investigators determined he had falsely claimed U.S. citizenship to secure employment as a corrections officer in Minnesota. Brown entered the United States in 2014 on a student visa, but his status was terminated the following year when he failed to maintain a full course of study, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Despite lacking lawful status, Brown enlisted in the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2014. He later went absent without leave in 2015 and was ultimately apprehended and discharged under other than honorable conditions in 2022. In 2020, he applied for lawful permanent residence under the Liberian Refugee Fairness program, but officials denied the request after uncovering misrepresentations, including his failure to disclose prior military service and a false claim of U.S. citizenship.
Federal authorities say additional evidence of fraud surfaced during their review of Brown’s 2024 naturalization application. Investigators allegedly identified marriage fraud and repeated false claims of citizenship in official filings. Records also show Brown worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections from May 2023 through October 2025. After USCIS alerted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Brown was placed in removal proceedings and now faces potential prosecution.
USCIS Director Joseph Edlow said, “This alien tried every trick in the book to remain in the United States after losing legal status. We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure he faces justice for his many violations of the law.” The Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed his employment and stated it followed federal document-verification requirements during the hiring process. Commissioner Paul Schnell added, “If these federal allegations are accurate, this individual engaged in sophisticated efforts to misrepresent their identity, extending well beyond Minnesota.”
The case aligns with a broader push by the Trump administration to pursue immigration and citizenship fraud. USCIS has expanded denaturalization referrals for individuals accused of lying or concealing material facts during the naturalization process, significantly increasing the number of cases sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Recent ICE arrests have targeted illegal immigrants serving in other sensitive public-trust roles, including armed law enforcement positions.
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