Illegal immigrant allegedly faked asylum claim, became correction officer
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SPECIAL: Federal officials told Fox News Digital on Sunday that immigration officers arrested a suspected illegal immigrant who allegedly entered the U.S. with a “fraudulent” asylum claim before he was later hired as a taxpayer-funded corrections officer in Portland, Indiana.
The detainee, identified as Selah Dine Habib, a native of Mauritania in Northwest Africa, was arrested May 21 after being released to the United States by the Biden administration around 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS alleged that Habib claimed to be gay in a pending asylum application, adding that investigators later discovered he married a woman after entering the country.
By the way According to local outlet WIBC, which first reported the case, the woman was the daughter of the county sheriff, who later assigned Habib as a corrections officer at the county jail.
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Undocumented immigrant Selah Dine Habib has reportedly joined the Jay County Sheriff’s Department Jail in Indiana as a correctional officer. (Google Maps)
“He illegally entered the country in March 2023 near Lukeville, Arizona, and was RELEASED into the country by the Biden administration, where he was reportedly hired as a corrections officer in Indiana,” DHS said. “He will remain in ICE custody until removal proceedings are completed.”
“His pending asylum application, which he applied for in 2023 on the grounds of homosexuality but married a woman in 2025, is believed to be fraudulent,” the authorities said.
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According to WIBC, Habib joined the Jay County Jail as a correctional officer in 2025 after marrying the sheriff’s daughter, making him the sheriff’s step-son-in-law.
Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton confirmed Habib’s employment at the store, saying he was serving as an unarmed corrections officer after Habib presented work permits that cleared the hiring process. Habib also passed a federal E-Verify employment authorization check during the hire, according to county officials cited by WIBC.
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A federal law enforcement agent stands outside a home in Minneapolis, Minn., on Jan. 13, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“I can confirm that Mr. Habib submitted an I-9 with documentation and an E-Verify Check was completed at the time of employment,” the Jay County Auditor’s Office told the outlet. “The report came back because employment was authorized.”
“Departments are responsible for completing any reference checks, background checks, drug tests, etc. before sending new employees to the office. The sheriff will be able to discuss standard practices completed in his office,” the office said.
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The Auditor’s Office added that any discrepancies flagged by the E-Verify system will immediately halt the hiring process.
“Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin, ICE is restoring law and order. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities, especially in law enforcement positions,” DHS said.
Habib is currently being held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Clay County Jail detention facility in Brazil, Indiana, WIBC said.
According to WIBC, citing sources, he is currently appealing the final deportation decision from the United States.
