By Jennie Taer
Published June 24, 2025
Updated June 24, 2025, 5:05 p.m. ET
ICE agents arrested a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps member with suspected ties to Hezbollah, an ex Iranian army sniper and a terror watchlist suspect during a sweep of Iranian illegal migrants in the US over the weekend — as authorities raised warnings about possible “sleeper cells.”
"In all, 11 Iranian illegal migrants, many of them with criminal records, were taken into custody, the Department of Homeland Security said on Tuesday.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement nabbed former IRGC Mehran Makari Sahel, who has “admitted connections” to the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, according to CBS News.
ICE agents collared 11 illegal Iranian migrants over the weekend in eight states as the Border Patrol warned of “possible sleeper” cells in the US.
The 56-year-old Iranian citizen is a convicted felon, who was sentenced to 15 months in prison in Minneapolis for possessing a firearm, according to DHS.
The resident of St. Paul, Minnesota, was ordered deported on June 28, 2022, but never left the US.
Yousef Mehridehno, whose name appears on the terrorist watchlist, was arrested by ICE outside Jackson, Mississippi, according to the outlet.
Feds discovered that Mehridehno lied on a visa application after he had already been living in the country illegally for eight years. They also found that he potentially committed marriage fraud, according to DHS.
ICE agents also arrested Ribvar Karmi in northern Alabama on Sunday and found he was carrying an Iranian army ID card that revealed he was a sniper between 2018 and 2021, CBS reported.
Karmi entered the US in October 2024 on a K-1 visa for immigrants who are engaged to American citizens. But he never adjusted his status as required by the visa program, making him an illegal immigrant, according to DHS.
Five of the 11 Iranians swept up by ICE had previous criminal convictions that included grand larceny and drug and firearm possession, according to CBS News.
“Under Secretary Noem, DHS has identified and arrested known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through [President Joe] Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise,” DHS said in an X post Tuesday.
“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,” DHS said.
Border agents were warned after the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites Saturday night to look out for possible Iranian terrorist “sleeper cells,” according to a leaked memo obtained by The Post.
Iranian migrants are supposed to undergo stricter vetting by the feds since they’re considered “special interest aliens” due to possible terrorism ties.
Under the Biden administration, more than 700 Iranian migrants who crossed the border illegally were released into the US, according to Fox News.
CBP Commissioner Rodney Scott cited “Iran’s hatred for the United States and their desire to harm America and Americans” in Saturday’s memo to border agents.
“Over the past four years, thousands of Iranian nationals have been documented entering the United States illegally and countless more were likely in the known and unknown got-a-ways,” Scott wrote.
“Though we have not received any specific credible threats to share with you all currently, the threat of sleeper cells or sympathizers acting on their own, or at the behest of Iran has never been higher,” he added.
Scott asked border agents “to remain hyper vigilant and continue to take appropriate precautions, while maintaining a heightened level of situational awareness both on and off-duty.”
https://nypost.com/2025/06/24/us-news/ice-nabs-11-iranian-migrants-including-suspected-terrorists/
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