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Mauritanian man arrested after working as Indiana jail officer; asylum application under investigation.

May 21, 2026·Location: Portland, IN

Country of origin: Mauritania

Mauritanian man arrested after working as Indiana jail officer; asylum application under investigation.
Photo via Fox News

Selah Dine Habib, a Mauritanian national, entered the United States near the Arizona border in March 2023 and applied for asylum claiming persecution based on sexual orientation. While his asylum case was pending, he secured employment as an unarmed corrections officer at Jay County Jail in Indiana after marrying a woman and presenting employment authorization documents that passed I-9 verification and E-Verify checks. In May 2026, ICE arrested Habib after DHS investigators determined his asylum application was fraudulent, citing the contradiction between his claimed homosexual identity and his subsequent marriage to a woman. He is currently detained at Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana, and faces removal proceedings.

Timeline

May 21, 2026—ICE arrested Habib after DHS determined his asylum claim was fraudulent; he was taken into ICE custody at Clay County Jail in Brazil, Indiana
May 21, 2026—Habib entered removal proceedings
Apr 1, 2023—Habib married a woman and was hired as an unarmed corrections officer at Jay County Jail in Indiana after passing I-9 verification and E-Verify checks
Mar 1, 2023—Selah Dine Habib entered the United States near Lukeville, Arizona
Mar 1, 2023—Habib applied for asylum claiming persecution based on sexual orientation
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