More than 130 Iranian nationals have been arrested across the United States in the past week in a nationwide enforcement operation, Fox News reported on Thursday, citing multiple federal sources.
The arrests come as President Donald Trump’s administration increases enforcement targeting Iranian nationals, while officials warn of possible retaliation following recent US strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, Fox News reported.
Suspected ties to IRGC, Hezbollah among cases
“The presence in this country of undocumented migrants or Iranian nationals who have links to Hezbollah, IRGC, is, in my judgment, a domestic law enforcement concern of the highest magnitude,” former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said on Fox & Friends.
Federal officials told Fox News that some of those arrested had criminal convictions for drugs, weapons, and domestic violence. “We don’t know who they are, where they came from, why they’re here,” former border czar Tom Homan said. “This is the biggest national security vulnerability we’ve ever seen.”
Former acting ICE Director Jonathan Fahey said the situation worsened under the previous administration’s policies. “We have probably 2 million known gotaways come through the last administration… we have no idea who went through,” he said.
Fox News also reported that one of the individuals arrested “had served as a sniper in the Iranian military within the last four years,” and that “some of those arrested have criminal histories, including charges related to drugs, weapons and domestic violence.”
The report said that roughly half of the 1,500 Iranian nationals released into the US during the Biden administration were released into the interior.
A Supreme Court ruling that permits deportation to third-party countries may apply to some of those currently in custody, though legal proceedings are ongoing, Fox News added.
Homeland Security identifies key suspects in earlier announcement
Earlier this week, the Department of Homeland Security released specific details about a subset of the same group of arrests. Eleven Iranian nationals were taken into custody in multiple states, including individuals with past deportation orders, terrorism concerns, and criminal records.
Among them was Ribvar Karimi, a former Iranian army sniper arrested in Alabama, who entered the US in 2024 on a fiancé visa and never adjusted his immigration status. Agents found him with an Iranian military ID. In Minnesota, DHS said agents arrested Mehran Makari Saheli, a former IRGC member who admitted ties to Hezbollah and had a prior felony conviction.
Other arrests occurred in Texas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Mississippi, and New York. Some individuals had been ordered removed years ago but remained in the country. One man was carrying a loaded pistol; others had histories involving domestic violence, drug trafficking, or immigration fraud.
All remain in federal custody pending removal, DHS said.
