Overview

• ICE arrested 11 Iranian nationals in eight states, including a former IRGC member with Hezbollah ties and an ex-Iranian army sniper, all charged with criminal or terror-related allegations.
• The operation spanned nine cities and followed US airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, prompting Iran’s warnings of sleeper-cell attacks in the US.
• Five arrestees had prior convictions for offenses ranging from grand larceny to drug and firearm charges, and some entered on expired or fraudulent visas.
• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said average daily immigration arrests have climbed from 660 to 1,200 with a target of 3,000, even though no credible threats to US soil have been reported.
• Civil rights groups warn the crackdown risks racial profiling of Iranian Americans, accusing the administration of leveraging security operations to pursue political objectives.