ICE Nets 130 Iranians in a Week.

WHAT HAPPENED: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 130 Iranian nationals in the past week as part of a nationwide crackdown on individuals considered potential security threats.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: ICE, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and Iranian nationals, including individuals with alleged ties to terrorist organizations like the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah.

WHEN & WHERE: Nationwide arrests over the last seven days; additional arrests occurred earlier this month in nine major U.S. cities.

KEY QUOTE: “670 Iranian nationals are currently being held in ICE detention facilities nationwide.” – Reporter Bill Melugin.

IMPACT: Federal agencies have heightened surveillance of possible sleeper cells, while DHS issued a national terrorism advisory warning of increased risks from foreign actors.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reportedly arrested 130 Iranian nationals across the country within the last week as part of an intensified initiative to locate and detain individuals considered potential security threats following U.S. strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. It is currently believed that a total of 670 Iranian nationals are being held in ICE detention facilities nationwide.

According to multiple federal sources, the arrests are part of a broader national effort to identify and detain potential security threats after President Donald J. Trump ordered successful military strikes decimating Iran’s nuclear weapons program. This follows an earlier wave of arrests announced this week, during which 11 Iranian foreign nationals were detained in a 48-hour span across nine major U.S. cities.

Among those detained was Mehran Makari Sahel, arrested near St. Paul, Minnesota. Sahel is alleged to be a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), a designated terrorist organization by the U.S., and reportedly admitted ties to Hezbollah. Another individual, Yousef Mehridehno, who had been living illegally in the U.S. for eight years and was placed on the Terror Watchlist in February, was apprehended in Mississippi. Additionally, Ribvar Karmi, an Iranian sniper who served in the Islamic Republic’s military from 2018 to 2021, was arrested in northern Alabama carrying an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card.

In addition to individuals with alleged terror ties, other Iranian nationals arrested during the sweep reportedly had criminal convictions ranging from grand larceny to firearm possession. Federal law enforcement agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have ramped up surveillance of possible Iranian sleeper cells operating in the United States amid these developments.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued a national terrorism advisory in response, warning of increased risks from foreign terrorist actors and their affiliates. Tensions remain high between the U.S. and Iran, with the Iranian regime issuing repeated threats since the 2020 killing of Qasem Soleimani, the IRGC’s top general, by a U.S. drone strike.

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