DHS operation nets Minnesota prison guard who allegedly claimed US citizenship to join military

A Liberian man in Minnesota who tried “every trick in the book” to remain in the United States worked as a corrections officer and was once AWOL from the Pennsylvania National Guard when he was detained in January, authorities said Wednesday. 

Morris Brown, 45, was arrested Jan. 15 for multiple immigration violations, including overstaying his student visa and falsely claiming to be a U.S. citizen, the Department of Homeland Security said. 

He was identified during Operation Twin Shield, a Trump administration initiative targeting suspected immigration fraudsters.

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“Operation Twin Shield continues to deliver results as the Department of Homeland Security relentlessly pursues those who seek to cheat our immigration system,” said U.S. Citizenship and Immigrations Services (USCIS) Director Joseph Edlow. 

“This alien tried every trick in the book to remain in the United States after losing legal status,” he added. “We will use every tool at our disposal to ensure he faces justice for his many violations of the law.”

While masquerading as a U.S. citizen, Brown worked for the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MDOC) as a prison guard at the time of his arrest, DHS said. His employment with the MDOC ended in October 2025, the agency told Fox News Digital. 

“If these federal allegations are accurate, this individual engaged in sophisticated efforts to misrepresent their identity, extending well beyond Minnesota. We are grateful to USCIS and ICE for their work in investigating and addressing immigration fraud,” said DOC Commissioner Paul Schnell. “We will continue to comply with federal law and work professionally with our federal partners.”

The agency said that USCIS requested eligibility documentation related to Brown, which it provided. The MDOC said its records reflect that it followed federal document verification requirements upon hiring Brown. 

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Investigators began looking at Brown’s citizenship application and found evidence of marriage fraud and prior instances where he falsely claimed to be a U.S. citizen in official documents, DHS said. 

They also found that he was working for the Minnesota Department of Corrections despite not being an American citizen. 

Brown entered the U.S. in 2014 on a non-immigrant student visa that was terminated in 2015 because he failed to enroll in a full course of study. Despite having no legal status, he enlisted in the Pennsylvania National Guard. 

He went AWOL the next year and was caught and was discharged in 2022. 

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In 2020, he applied for a Green Card under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program. On his application, Brown failed to disclose his prior military service and his false claim to U.S. citizenship. In 2024, in another commission of fraud, he applied to naturalize as a U.S. citizen based on prior military service, authorities said. 

Fox News Digital has reached out to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.