Immigration agents collared 11 Iranian illegal migrants — including suspected terrorists — over the weekend in eight states as the Border Patrol warned of “possible sleeper” cells in the US.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement nabbed former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member Mehran Makari Sahel, who has “admitted connections” to the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, according to CBS News.
He was busted near St. Paul, Minnesota.
Yousef Mehridehno, whose name appears on the terrorist watchlist, was arrested by ICE outside Jackson, Mississippi, according to the outlet.
Feds discovered that Mehridehno lied on a visa application after he had already been living in the country illegally for eight years.
ICE agents also arrested Ribvar Karmi in northern Alabama on Sunday and found he was carrying an Iranian Army ID card that revealed he was a sniper between 2018 and 2021, CBS reported.
Karmi entered the US in October 2024 on a K-1 visa for immigrants who are engaged to American citizens.
Five of the 11 Iranians swept up by ICE had previous criminal convictions that included grand larceny and drug and firearm possessions, according to CBS News.
“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has identified and arrested known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,” DHS said in an X post Tuesday.
“We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” DHS said.
Border agents were warned after the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites Saturday night to look out for possible Iranian terrorist “sleeper cells,” according to a leaked memo obtained by The Post.
Iranian migrants are supposed to undergo stricter vetting by the feds since they’re considered to be “special interest aliens” due to possible terrorism ties.
Under the Biden administration, more than 700 Iranian migrants who crossed the border illegally were released into the US, according to Fox News.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott cited “Iran’s hatred for the United States and their desire to harm America and Americans,” in Saturday’s memo to border agents.
“Over the past four years, thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways,” Scott wrote.
“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher,” he added.
Scott asked border agents “to remain hyper vigilant and continue to take appropriate precautions, while maintaining a heightened level of situational awareness both on and off-duty.”
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