11 Illegal migrants from Iran have been arrested, including an Iranian Army sniper, migrants with connections to Hezbollah & an American citizen who threatened to k*ll ICE agents
The arrests happened over the weekend as national security continues to be a top concern after US B-2 bombers took out three Iranian nuclear facilities.
Officials now on high alert about Iranian sleeper cells in the country .
DHS making the announcement saying the immigration operations took place in eight states and nine cities, targeting illegal migrants with known or suspected ties to terrorism and other criminal activities.
One of the detainees was identified as a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) with alleged connections to Hezbollah, while another was a former Iranian army sniper.
Five of the arrested illegal migrants had prior criminal convictions in the U.S. including charges related to grand larceny, drug possession, and firearms offenses.
Another detainee had been living illegally in the US for nearly eight years after lying on a visa application.
DHS also announced the arrest of a U.S. citizen accused of threatening to kill ICE agents.
The arrests follow a DHS bulletin issued on Sunday, warning of a “heightened threat environment” and a risk of cyberattacks & potential violent acts by Iranian-backed groups.
CBP recently revealed that 1,504 Iranian nationals were apprehended at the southern border during the Biden administration, with 729 released into the country.
In addition, during Biden’s presidency almost 400 illegal migrants that on the terror watchlist were apprehended at the southern border – and that number does not include how many illegal migrants on the terror watch list, came into the country along with the 2 million got-aways between 2021 and 2024
