Immigration Agent Arrests Corrections Officer Amid Claims of Fraudulent Asylum

Federal officials have disclosed the arrest of a suspected illegal immigrant who allegedly gained entry to the United States through a fraudulent asylum claim. This individual later took a job as a taxpayer-funded corrections officer in Portland, Indiana. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the detainee is identified as Selah Dine Habib, originally from Mauritania in northwest Africa.

Habib, who had reportedly entered the U.S. in March 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, was released by the Biden administration. DHS officials indicated that he later became employed by the Jay County Sheriff Department Jail in Indiana.

The DHS alleged that Habib claimed homosexuality on his asylum application. However, investigators later discovered his marriage to a woman in 2025, which contradicted his asylum claim. Local news outlet WIBC reported that this woman is the daughter of the county sheriff, making Habib the sheriff’s step-son-in-law.

Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton confirmed Habib’s role as an unarmed correctional officer after he presented employment authorization documents. These documents had successfully cleared federal E-Verify employment-authorization checks during his hiring process. DHS officials claimed that Habib’s pending asylum application was fraudulent.

The Jay County Auditor’s Office stated to WIBC, “He entered the country illegally, and his employment documents cleared the E-Verify system, marking him as eligible for employment.” However, any flagged discrepancies would have immediately halted his onboarding process.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently holds Habib at the Clay County Jail detention facility in Brazil, Indiana. He is contesting a final deportation order, according to sources.

WIBC cited DHS in saying, “ICE is restoring law and order under President Trump and Secretary Mullin. Illegal aliens have no place in law enforcement positions.”

Alexandra Koch, a journalist at Fox News Digital, is known for covering breaking news and reports on events that bear significant national impact. Her coverage has included major crises such as the L.A. wildfires and the Boulder terror attack.