By Greg Wehner , Bill Melugin | Fox News
Trump’s decisive action against Iran raises alarm about security risks following Biden’s release of 729 special interest aliens.
Over 1,500 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border were arrested during the Biden administration, and nearly 50% of them were released back into the country, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source.
More specifically, Border Patrol agents arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the U.S.
The number of Iranian nationals arrested at the southern border increased year-to-year, with 48 being arrested in FY21; 197 in FY22; 462 in FY23 and 797 in FY24.
Likewise, the number of Iranian nationals released also increased, with 12 in FY21; 40 in FY22; 229 in FY23; and 448 in FY24.
It is unclear how many of the Iranians released into the U.S. were on the terrorism watchlist, as the Biden administration repeatedly denied Fox News’ Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals for the data. The Biden administration cited “privacy concerns” of the people on the list, as well as “minimal public interest” for denying the requests.
Still, there were over 2 million known gotaways at the border during the Biden administration, and because they were never caught, there is no way of knowing where the individuals were from.
All Iranians are considered “special interest aliens” because of national security concerns. Therefore, they are supposed to receive enhanced vetting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The news comes as U.S. officials sound the alarm regarding the threat of terror-backed sleeper cells in the country just hours after President Donald Trump ordered the successful strikes on key nuclear facilities within Iran.
Hours after Trump addressed the nation about the military strikes, the DHS issued a memo sounding the alarm to a “heightened threat environment” in the U.S.
While the bulletin did not cite any specific threats, it came as Iranian officials vowed retaliation against the U.S.
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