ICE Arrests Dozens of Iranian Operatives in U.S. After Trump-Ordered Strikes on Nuclear Targets

In a sweeping national security operation, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has apprehended 130 Iranian nationals across the United States within the past week, with 670 more currently in ICE custody. The arrests follow decisive action by President Donald J. Trump’s administration to secure the homeland in the wake of successful U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

Federal sources confirmed the numbers to Fox News, as national security officials raise growing alarm over the threat posed by Iranian sleeper cells and foreign extremists who may be plotting retaliatory attacks on American soil.

These arrests come amid the fallout of the Biden-era border crisis, which opened the floodgates to millions of illegal crossings, creating what experts now describe as an unprecedented national security threat.

“We don’t know who they are, where they came from, why they’re here,” said former ICE Director Tom Homan. “This is the biggest national security vulnerability we’ve ever seen.”

According to Fox News, the Department of Homeland Security, now under the leadership of Secretary Kristi Noem, has ramped up counterterrorism operations, fulfilling President Trump’s directive to defend American citizens before it’s too late.

“We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.

Former Acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey pointed to the Biden administration’s catastrophic failures on vetting, noting that roughly 2 million “gotaways” may have entered during Biden’s presidency—many completely unvetted and unknown.

“We have no idea who went through,” Fahey stated bluntly. “And they weren’t doing any meaningful vetting.”

ICE confirmed that among the Iranian nationals detained, several had criminal records, including charges related to narcotics, illegal weapons, and domestic abuse. At least one had recently served as a sniper in the Iranian military.

Perhaps most alarming is the arrest of Ribvar Karimi, who previously served four years in the Iranian military. Karimi entered the United States under the Biden administration via a K-1 visa, a permit designed for foreigners intending to marry U.S. citizens. He failed to adjust his immigration status, making him eligible for deportation under federal law.

Karimi was detained in Locust, Alabama, while carrying identification as a member of the Islamic Republic of Iran Army. His arrest comes days after Iran issued threats of "retaliation" following joint U.S.-Israeli military operations.

In a broader sweep across eight states and nine sanctuary jurisdictions, ICE also arrested Mehran Makari Sahel, a resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, who was previously affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and admitted to having ties to Hezbollah.

These arrests occurred as President Trump declared a cease-fire between the U.S. and Iran, but national intelligence agencies remain on high alert for potential domestic terror plots involving foreign operatives.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled that individuals can be deported to third-party countries, even when direct diplomatic channels are strained—potentially opening the door to deport these dangerous foreign nationals to safe, cooperative nations if Iran refuses their return.

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