Rising Threats Inside U.S. Borders: Iranian Nationals Arrested Coast to Coast

Even before President Donald Trump authorized precision airstrikes against Iranian nuclear facilities on Saturday, federal and state law enforcement agencies were already racing to confront an alarming pattern: the infiltration of Iranian nationals into the United States—many of them men—illegally entering the country and some tied directly to terrorism.

Over the past year, Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) troopers and federal agents have detained dozens of Iranian nationals classified as Special Interest Aliens (SIAs), a legal term for individuals from countries that are known sponsors of terrorism. Iran, long designated by the U.S. State Department as a state sponsor of terror, has been linked to a growing number of national security incidents within U.S. borders.

Among the most disturbing revelations is the complete uncertainty surrounding just how many Iranians may have entered the country undetected during the Biden administration. With over 2 million “gotaways” recorded—migrants who crossed the southern border without being apprehended—security experts and lawmakers are voicing serious concern about who may now be inside the U.S.

Federal Cases Reveal Deep Iranian Ties to Terror, Tech Smuggling, and Drug Trafficking

Recent prosecutions paint a chilling picture of Iranian government-linked activity operating on American soil. In Massachusetts, an Iranian man was arrested in the sanctuary jurisdiction of Natick for attempting to illegally export sensitive U.S. electronic components to Iran. Authorities allege the components were funneled to a company that supplies the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)—a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization—with drone parts used to attack U.S. forces in Jordan.

In New York, two Iranians were charged in April with conspiring to procure parts for Iranian military drones, provide material support to the IRGC, and launder money. These two suspects remain at large. “The charges lay bare how U.S.-made technology ended up in the hands of the Iranian military to build attack drones,” said Sue Bai of the DOJ’s National Security Division.

Meanwhile, in Virginia, federal prosecutors indicted two Iranians and a Pakistani in April for allegedly participating in Iran’s weapons of mass destruction (WMD) program—an operation that led to the death of two Navy SEALs during maritime smuggling missions off the coast of Somalia. The Pakistani awaits trial; the Iranians remain fugitives.

Another troubling case involves a naturalized U.S. citizen and former contractor at the Federal Aviation Administration who pled guilty to acting as an illegal Iranian agent. For five years, he is accused of exfiltrating sensitive government documents to Tehran. “The brazen acts of this defendant—acting against the United States while on U.S. soil—is a clear example of how our enemies are willing to take risks in order to do us harm,” said U.S. Attorney Edward Martin.

Dark Web Drug Rings, Oil Smuggling, and Biden-Era Weakness

April also saw an Iranian national indicted in Ohio for running a dark web drug trafficking ring, distributing fentanyl, heroin, meth, and cocaine while stealing financial data and laundering money. The sophisticated network had ties in Germany and Lithuania. DOJ officials shut down servers, seized infrastructure, and disrupted drug shipments before they could reach U.S. streets.

In the economic and energy sector, Homeland Security Investigations uncovered a massive Iranian oil smuggling ring operating for years under the Biden administration, with direct ties to the IRGC. The federal government seized $47 million in proceeds, alleging that the operation funded terrorism, human rights abuses, and WMD proliferation. The conspirators allegedly falsified documents, used U.S. financial systems, and misrepresented the oil’s origin as Malaysian to mask Iranian ties.

These findings follow a December 2023 ruling from a federal court ordering the forfeiture of nearly $12 million in illicit Iranian oil profits tied to Triliance Petrochemical Company, another IRGC-linked entity. FBI teams from Tampa and Minneapolis led the probe.

In a related trend, some Iranians have even been indicted for making false statements during U.S. naturalization processes—raising fears about how deeply Tehran’s operatives have burrowed into American institutions.

Homeland Security Issues Nationwide Terror Alert

On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a fresh national advisory:

“The ongoing Iran conflict is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.”

The bulletin cited concerns over low-level cyber attacks by pro-Iranian “hacktivists” and even the possibility of more sophisticated operations carried out by Iranian government-linked cyber actors. It also warned that Iran still seeks revenge for the 2020 k*lling of Qassem Soleimani, a commander whose death led to vows of retaliation from Iranian leadership.

DHS emphasized that while no specific plot has been uncovered, “Iran also has a long-standing commitment to target U.S. Government officials it views as responsible for the death of an Iranian military commander k*lled in January 2020.”

Do you trust the Trump administration to keep the country safe from Iranian terrorists? Let us know your thoughts down in the comments!