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DHS Announces Arrest of Somali Illegal Alien Pirate for Passport Forgery

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Summary

DHS announced that CBP officers arrested Said Jama Ahmed, an illegal alien from Somalia, who faces an outstanding arrest warrant for falsely making, using, and forging a passport and for a positive fingerprint match to a 2012 national security threat with ties to Somali piracy. Ahmed was encountered during a 2012 piracy incident in the Gulf of Aden where U.S. Navy personnel logged his fingerprints. He entered the United States illegally in September 2022 near San Luis, Arizona, and was detained by ICE in 2024 during a warrant search for fraud documents. A full extradition warrant was issued dated April 24, 2025. USBP currently holds Ahmed in the District of North Dakota for illegal entry.

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About this source

The Department of Homeland Security press releases page publishes every announcement from DHS headquarters and its component agencies: ICE, CBP, USCIS, TSA, FEMA, USCG, and CISA. Around 105 releases a month, spanning immigration enforcement results, disaster declarations, cybersecurity advisories, port-of-entry seizures, FEMA grant awards, and policy guidance changes. Watch this if you track US immigration enforcement, manage corporate compliance with E-Verify and CBP rules, brief disaster response operations, or follow ICE detention policy. GovPing pulls each release with the issuing component, headline, and announcement date. The DHS feed is often the first official source for major policy shifts before they appear in agency-specific channels.

What changed

This DHS press release announces the arrest of Said Jama Ahmed, a Somali national, by CBP officers. Ahmed faces charges for falsely making, using, and forging a passport, and his fingerprints matched a 2012 national security threat linked to Somali piracy in the Gulf of Aden. He entered the United States illegally in September 2022 and was detained by ICE in 2024 during a warrant search for fraud documents, with an extradition warrant issued on April 24, 2025.

For law enforcement and immigration agencies, this case illustrates the intersection of passport fraud, national security threats, and illegal entry. The public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or using the online tip form.

Archived snapshot

Apr 25, 2026

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DHS Announces Arrest of Somali Illegal Alien Pirate

Release Date: April 24, 2026
Ahmed illegally entered under the Biden Administration and remained in the U.S. despite multiple prior detainments

WASHINGTON – Today, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested Said Jama Ahmed, an illegal alien from Somalia, who faces an outstanding arrest warrant for violations of falsely making, using, and forging a passport and for a positive fingerprint match to a 2012 national security threat with ties to Somali piracy.

Weak Biden Administration border policies allowed this illegal alien to enter and remain in the country despite his multiple law enforcement encounters,’ said Acting Assistant Secretary Lauren Bis. ‘We are thankful for our hardworking U.S. CBP officers and Canadian officials for their cooperation in arresting this individual. DHS will continue to work to arrest criminal illegal aliens to protect the American homeland from all threats.”

Said Jama Ahmed

On the night of April 14, an off-duty Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer first reported Ahmed and observed him walking southbound while carrying a backpack several miles north of the U.S.-Canada border. Two hours later, a U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) Agent spotted Ahmed and confronted him and placed him into CBP custody.

USBP currently holds him in the District of North Dakota for illegal entry.

Ahmed has a long record of United States military and law enforcement encounters. On March 10, 2012, the U.S.S. Halsey responded to a distress call from an Indian-flagged ship reporting that pirates had hijacked it in the Gulf of Aden.

A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team conducted boarding operations and encountered Ahmed and nine other armed pirates who had taken the Indian ship hostage by force, where the Navy then logged Ahmed’s fingerprint.

Ahmed first entered the United States in September of 2022 near San Luis, Arizona. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials detained him in 2024 during a warrant search for fraud documents, where officials issued a full extradition warrant dated 4/24/2025.

The public can report crimes and suspicious activity by dialing 866-DHS-2-ICE (866-347-2423) or completing the online tip form.

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Last updated

Classification

Agency
DHS
Published
April 24th, 2026
Instrument
Notice
Branch
Executive
Legal weight
Non-binding
Stage
Final
Change scope
Minor

Who this affects

Applies to
Government agencies Law enforcement
Industry sector
9211 Government & Public Administration
Activity scope
Immigration enforcement Passport fraud investigation National security
Geographic scope
United States US

Taxonomy

Primary area
Immigration
Operational domain
Legal
Topics
Criminal Justice Defense & National Security

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