ICE arrests Minnesota illegal immigrant who went AWOL as National Guard troop after overstaying visa

45-year-old Morris Brown, an illegal immigrant from Liberia, was arrested on January 15 in Minneapolis over multiple alleged violations of US immigration law. Brown had reportedly overstayed his student visa and made false claims that he was a US citizen.

Brown entered the US in 2024 on a non-immigrant student visa. The visa was terminated in 2015 after he failed to enroll in a course. Despite not having legal status in the US, he was able to join the Pennsylvania Army National Guard in 2014 before going AWOL the following year. He was apprehended and discharged from the military in 2022.

In 2020, Brown applied for a green card under the Liberian Refugee Immigration Fairness program, but his application was denied due to alleged misrepresentations, including failure to disclose prior military service and falsely claiming to be a US citizen.

He was apprehended as part of Operation Twin Shield, where USCIS investigators reviewed his citizenship application and said they uncovered evidence of marriage fraud and other instances in which he allegedly claimed to be a US citizen on official documents. Investigators also found he had been working as a corrections officer despite lacking legal status.

Brown now faces removal proceedings and potential criminal prosecution.

“Operation Twin Shield continues to deliver results as the Department of Homeland Security relentlessly pursues those who seek to cheat our immigration system,” said USCIS Director Joseph Edlow. “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.”