Federal immigration officers carried out the arrests of 11 illegal immigrants from Iran who were living in the United States, a precautionary move that unfolded over the weekend amid rising tensions between both nations.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday morning that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had arrested 11 Iranian nationals, including one person with ties to the Hezbollah terrorist organization, a known or suspected terrorist, and a suspected former sniper from the Iranian army.
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“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement. “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.”
The arrests occurred amid attacks between Israel and Iran, as well as a U.S. airstrike on Iran, over the past several days.
On Tuesday morning, President Donald Trump blamed his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, for allowing Iranian “super cells” to enter the U.S.
“[President Joe] Biden let a lot of stupid stuff in,” Trump told reporters en route to the Netherlands. “And among everything else he let a lot of super cells in. Many from Iran. But hopefully we’ll take care of it.”
Trump’s reference to “super cells” was likely a misspoken reference to “sleeper cells,” or groups of terrorists who are inactive and quiet before carrying out an attack.
In addition to the 11 Iranians arrested, ICE also took into custody a U.S. citizen who is accused of threatening to kill an ICE employee while harboring an Iranian national.
Ribvar Karimi of Locust, Alabama, is believed to have been an Iranian army sniper from 2018 to 2021 based on the discovery of an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card found at the time of his arrest. Karimi initially entered the U.S. on a K-1 visa in October 2024 on the basis that he was marrying a U.S. citizen. However, he never adjusted his immigration status, which is a violation of the law and makes him deportable.
Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad had been ordered deported and was found carrying a loaded 9 mm pistol when he was arrested on Sunday. Nejad entered the U.S. in 2016 on an F-1 student visa. He was arrested in 2017 by Harris County, Texas, police for assaulting a family member by impeding breathing.
The University of Texas, where Nejad attended school, terminated his enrollment in 2018, and he was ordered deported by a federal immigration judge in 2019.
Another Houston resident, Hamid Reza Bayat, was ordered deported almost 20 years ago. He was previously convicted twice of drug crimes, as well as driving on a suspended license.
Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand was arrested by ICE in Tempe, Arizona, and had been ordered deported after he crossed the border in Southern California in 2012. Eidivand was convicted of threatening a law enforcement officer and being an illegal immigrant in possession of a firearm.
ICE also arrested Linet Vartaniann at the same Tempe residence. Vartaniann is a U.S. citizen who threatened police against arresting Eidivand. DHS said Vartaniann threatened to open fire on ICE officials if they entered her home and then added that she would go outside and “shoot ICE officers in the head.”
Yousef Mehridehno of Gluckstadt, Mississippi, is an Iranian and a former lawful permanent resident in the U.S. His residency was terminated in 2017 after the U.S. government determined that he had lied on his original visa application and possibly committed marriage fraud. The FBI had listed Mehridehno on its terrorism watch list in February.
Colorado Springs, Colorado, residents and roommates Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour were arrested at the same time on Sunday.
Shafiei was first encountered by federal immigration officials in Seattle in 1981, and he was ordered deported in 1987. He has been convicted of drug crimes, as well as arrested for assault and child abuse.
Mehdipour was arrested by Border Patrol agents during the Biden administration. He illegally crossed the southern border in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas in 2023.
ICE officers in St. Paul, Minnesota, took Mehran Makari Saheli on Sunday. He was previously convicted as a felon in possession of a firearm and is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, “with admitted connections to Hezbollah,” according to the DHS. He was ordered deported in 2022 but had not been arrested.
Bahman Alizadeh Asfestani was nabbed by ICE officers in San Francisco. He was convicted in 1994 for petty theft and then convicted of possession of a controlled substance for sale the following year.
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ICE officers in Buffalo, New York, arrested Mohammad Rafikian, who was previously convicted of grand larceny, schemes to defraud, criminal impersonation, and practicing as an attorney.
Arkavan Babk Moirokorli was arrested by San Diego ICE officers and was previously convicted of forging an official seal.