A Liberian national who overstayed his visa, went AWOL from the military, and worked as a Minnesota corrections officer scammed the U.S. immigration system for more than a decade, according to immigration officials.
Morris Brown, 45, was among the 4,000 illegal immigrants arrested during a major enforcement surge targeting immigration fraud and criminal illegal aliens in Minnesota.
He now faces removal proceedings before an immigration judge and possible criminal prosecution related to alleged immigration fraud and lying to immigration officials.
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials claim Brown has been living a phony life while “masquerading as a U.S. citizen.” He’s really an illegal alien from Liberia who somehow got hired by the state.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Brown was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in Minneapolis on Jan. 15. The agency alleged that Brown overstayed his student visa and falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen.
BREAKING:
This is wild one.
DHS announces the ICE arrest of a Liberian illegal alien who they say was working as a Minnesota corrections officer while also being AWOL from the PA National Guard, all while masquerading as a U.S. citizen despite having no legal status in the… pic.twitter.com/l9CzsabzrE
— Bill Melugin (@BillMelugin_) February 18, 2026
USCIS described him as a “serial immigration fraudster.” At the time of his arrest, Brown was working as a prison guard at the state prison in Lino Lakes.
“This alien tried every trick in the book to remain in the United States after losing legal status,” said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. “We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure he faces justice for his many violations of the law.”
Brown’s decade-long trail of immigration fraud was uncovered during Operation Twin Shield. The special enforcement operation led by USCIS revealed widespread immigration fraud in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area last fall.
🚨 HOLY CRAP! DHS has arrested a Liberian illegal alien Minnesota CORRECTIONS OFFICER and AWOL National Guard member
He's a "serial immigration fraudster" who had safe haven in Tim Walz's Minnesota!
Morris Brown, 45, got arrested by ICE in Minneapolis for overstaying his… pic.twitter.com/rWbUxk4WXn
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) February 18, 2026
USCIS referred Brown’s case to ICE, and the agency arrested him after looking into his immigration status. He is accused of violating multiple immigration laws.
Brown gained state employment despite having no legal immigration status—by claiming to be a U.S. citizen. He’s also alleged to have committed marriage fraud and made repeated false claims to U.S. immigration authorities.
The Minnesota Department of Corrections confirmed Brown’s employment from May 2023 to October 2025, WCCO CBS News Minnesota reported. He earned a $64,561 annual base salary, according to the MDOC.
In a statement, the MDOC said it has cooperated with the investigation and followed federal document verification requirements when hiring Brown.
“If these federal allegations are accurate, this individual engaged in sophisticated efforts to misrepresent their identity, extending well beyond Minnesota,” DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell said. “We are grateful to USCIS and ICE for their work in investigating and addressing immigration fraud.”
USCIS officials said in a news release that Brown first entered the U.S. on a nonimmigrant student visa in 2014, which was terminated n 2015 after he failed to maintain full-time enrollment.
He then joined the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2014 but went AWOL (Absent Without Leave) the next year. He was caught and discharged from the military under other than honorable conditions in 2022.
Brown applied for a Green Card in 2020 under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program. USCIS denied his application due to misrepresentations. He failed to disclose his prior military service and made false claims to U.S. citizenship, USCIS said.
In 2024, he applied to naturalize as a U.S. citizen based on prior military service, which USCIS said is “another commission of fraud.”
USCIS investigators began looking into Brown’s application for citizenship and found evidence of marriage fraud and prior instances where he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in official documents.
They also learned he was working as a corrections officer for the state of Minnesota.
USCIS referred his case to ICE, and Brown now faces removal proceedings and potential prosecution for immigration fraud and making false claims to U.S. citizenship.
Launched in September, Operation Twin Shield was a large-scale immigration fraud investigation that sent immigration officers out into the field to conduct site visits and in-person interviews.
During the 10-day operation, immigration officers found suspected fraud in 275 out of 1,000 cases in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area. The immigration fraud included marriage fraud, elderly exploitation, fake death certificates and other elaborate schemes.
“Operation Twin Shield continues to deliver results as the Department of Homeland Security relentlessly pursues those who seek to cheat our immigration system,” Edlow said.
Americans can see more public safety threats arrested in their communities or search their own state at wow.dhs.gov.
