A man from Liberia, residing in Minnesota, attempted numerous ways to stay in the United States but found himself working as a correctional officer when he was apprehended by authorities in January. Morris Brown, 45, was taken into custody on January 15 for several immigration violations, such as overstaying his student visa and falsely identifying as a U.S. citizen, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Brown’s arrest was part of Operation Twin Shield, an initiative by the Trump administration aimed at uncovering suspected immigration fraud. “Operation Twin Shield continues to bear fruit as the Department of Homeland Security relentlessly pursues those who seek to defraud our immigration system,” remarked USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. He noted that Brown had tried “every trick in the book” to stay in the country after losing his legal status, and emphasized the intent to ensure accountability for his actions.
At the time of his arrest, Brown was employed as a corrections officer for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, all while pretending to be a citizen. Investigators uncovered that he had a history of marriage fraud and had deceitfully claimed U.S. citizenship on various official documents.
Brown initially entered the U.S. in 2014 on a student visa, which expired a year later because he couldn’t enroll in enough courses. Even without legal status, he managed to join the Pennsylvania National Guard, but was unarmed when he was captured and ultimately received a non-honorable discharge in 2022.
In 2020, he sought a green card through the Liberian Refugee and Immigrant Equity Program but failed to mention his false claims regarding military service or U.S. citizenship. In a related case from 2024, he attempted to apply for U.S. citizenship based on his alleged military service, according to authorities who are now looking into his case further.
Efforts to get comments from the Minnesota Department of Corrections were made by Fox News Digital.
