U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents have apprehended a Somali immigrant, Jama Ahmed, near the U.S.-Canada border. Authorities believe he is linked to a previous piracy case and might have a warrant for passport fraud.
Around earlier this month, Ahmed indicated he was taken into custody and is currently held in North Dakota on allegations of illegal entry into the U.S.
According to a statement from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Ahmed’s fingerprints matched those collected during a U.S. naval operation back in 2012 that involved suspected Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden.
Lauren Biss, the acting assistant secretary of DHS, criticized the Biden administration’s border policies, stating they permitted Ahmed to cross and remain despite prior law enforcement encounters.
DHS reported that an off-duty Canadian Mounted Police officer first saw Ahmed on April 14, carrying a backpack a few miles north of the border. Just two hours later, U.S. Border Patrol agents located him and took him into custody.
Records showed Ahmed was involved in a 2012 incident where the USS Halsey responded to a hijacked Indian-flagged vessel. A Navy boarding team discovered Ahmed among armed individuals who were believed to be holding the ship hostage.
DHS explained that during this operation, Navy personnel collected Ahmed’s fingerprints while confronting him and nine other armed pirates on that vessel.
Authorities noted that Ahmed had entered the U.S. via San Luis, Arizona, in September 2022 and had several run-ins with law enforcement since then. In 2024, Immigration and Customs Enforcement detained him due to an investigation into fraudulent documentation.
In April 2025, a complete extradition warrant was issued against him, according to DHS.
Biss expressed gratitude to the dedicated CBP officers and Canadian authorities for their assistance in Ahmed’s arrest, reaffirming that DHS is focused on capturing criminal illegal aliens to safeguard the American public.
