“We proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” DHS said following the arrests.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals over the weekend across eight states, including suspected terrorists, as the Border Patrol warned of “possible sleeper” cells following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites.
Among those arrested was Mehran Makari Sahel, a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) member with “admitted connections” to Hezbollah, caught near St. Paul, Minnesota, according to CBS News. In Jackson, Mississippi, ICE nabbed Yousef Mehridehno, on the U.S. terror watchlist, who had lived illegally in the U.S. for eight years and lied on a visa application.
Ribvar Karmi, a former Iranian army sniper (2018–2021), was arrested in northern Alabama while carrying an army ID. He entered the U.S. on a K-1 fiancé visa in October 2024.
Five of the 11 arrested had prior criminal convictions. “We proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” DHS stated. A leaked Border Patrol memo warned agents to stay alert, citing an increased threat of sleeper cells.