Thread: ICE arrests illegal alien who allegedly faked asylum claim based on homosexuality, be

ICE arrests illegal alien who allegedly faked asylum claim based on homosexuality, became Indiana jail officer

Selah Dine Habib reportedly married the daughter of an Indiana sheriff, became correction officer at father-in-law's jail

By Alexandra Koch , Bonny Chu Fox News
Published May 31, 2026 9:19pm EDT

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EXCLUSIVE: Federal officials on Sunday revealed to Fox News Digital that immigration agents arrested a suspected illegal immigrant who allegedly entered the United States under a "fraudulent" asylum claim before later becoming employed 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 on May 21 after being released into the U.S. by the Biden administration around 2023, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Habib claimed to be homosexual on a pending asylum application, DHS alleged, adding that investigators later discovered he had married a woman after entering the country.


According to local outlet WIBC, which first reported the case, the woman was the daughter of the county sheriff whose office later employed Habib as a correctional officer at the county jail.
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Undocumented immigrant, Selah Dine Habib, reportedly joined the Jay County Sheriff Department Jail as a correctional officer in Indiana. (Google Maps)

"He entered the country illegally 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 pending removal proceedings."
"His pending asylum application is believed to be fraudulent, as he applied based on homosexuality in 2023 but married a woman in 2025," officials said.
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According to WIBC, Habib joined the Jay County Jail as a correctional officer after marrying the sheriff's daughter in 2025, making him the sheriff's step-son-in-law.
Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton confirmed Habib's employment to the outlet, saying he served as an unarmed correctional officer after presenting employment authorization documents that cleared the hiring process. According to county officials cited by WIBC, Habib also passed the federal E-Verify employment-authorization check during onboarding.


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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 am able to 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 as employment authorized."
"Departments are responsible for completing any reference checks, background checks, drug tests, etc. before submitting new employees to the office. The sheriff would be able to speak to the 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 would have halted the onboarding process immediately.
"Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin ICE is restoring law and order. Illegal aliens have NO PLACE in our communities, especially in positions of law enforcement," 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.

He is currently contesting a final deportation order from the United States, WIBC added, citing sources.

Illegal immigrant allegedly faked asylum claim, became correction officer | Fox News

African migrant claimed to be gay to get asylum in the US - then made incredibly stupid mistake after entering the country, DHS says

By LAURA PARNABY, US SENIOR NEWS REPORTER
Published: 11:57 EDT, 1 June 2026 | Updated: 18:19 EDT, 1 June 2026
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An African immigrant accused of pretending to be gay to claim asylum in the US has allegedly been outed after he married a woman in Indiana.
Salah Dine Habib, a native of Mauritania in west Africa, entered the US around 2023 and was arrested May 21, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Habib claimed to be homosexual on his asylum application, which in his home country is a criminal offense punishable by being stoned to death.

Video 00:38 - 02:24

He got a job as a taxpayer-funded corrections officer at a county jail in Portland, Indiana, after being hired by Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton Jr, WIBC reported.
However, Habib was allegedly exposed as a fraud after he married Newton's stepdaughter Chelsea in September 2025.
Photos and videos shared to social media from the ceremony show the sheriff posing with his family and giving a speech to wedding guests.
The DHS told the Daily Mail in a statement: 'Habib entered the country illegally 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.
'He will remain in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

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Salah Dine Habib was allegedly exposed as a fraudulent asylum seeker after his wedding to wife Chelsea

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Chelsea Habib is the stepdaughter of Jay County Sheriff Larry Ray Newton Jr

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Sheriff Newton hired Habib as a corrections officer at a county jail, and gave a speech at his wedding to daughter Chelsea

'His pending asylum application is believed to be fraudulent, as he applied based on homosexuality in 2023 but married a woman in 2025.



Habib is being held at the Clay County Jail detention facility in Brazil, Indiana

'Under President Trump and Secretary Mullin ICE is restoring law and order. Illegal aliens have no place in our communities, especially in positions of law enforcement.'
Habib is being held at the Clay County Jail detention facility in Brazil, Indiana, where he is fighting deportation.
Sheriff Newton confirmed to WIBC that Habib served as a non-armed correctional officer at the county jail.
He also said Habib was his step-son-in-law, but that he started his tenure with the sheriff's department before marrying into his family.
Newton claimed local officials were unaware of Habib's immigration status, adding that his driver's license and Social Security card had cleared their recruitment process.

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Habib got a job as a taxpayer-funded corrections officer at this county jail

Newton claimed the Jay County Auditor's Office is responsible for processing and vetting legal paperwork for staff - but the auditor's office disputed this.

'Departments are responsible for completing any reference checks, background checks, drug tests, etc before submitting new employees to the office,' the Jay County Auditor's office told WIBC.

African migrant claimed to be gay to get asylum in the US - then made incredibly stupid mistake after entering the country, DHS says | Daily Mail Online