(NewsNation) — As diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran continue, border security officials are on high alert amid intelligence suggesting that Iranian nationals are attempting to enter the country with help from Mexican drug cartels.
This is a major security alert, according to internal documents obtained by NewsNation. Border Patrol received intel warning that 35 Iranian nationals may be planning to cross into the U.S. illegally, and cartels such as Jalisco New Generation Cartel and Los Salazar may be involved in smuggling operations.
The alert, which runs through Saturday, warns this may be part of a broader effort by state-sponsored actors using cartel routes to reach U.S. borders.
Agents patrolling the Calexico-to-San Luis corridor have been instructed to remain vigilant and prepare for potential encounters.
Memo warns sleeper cells threat inside US at all-time high
This latest threat comes just a week after a separate Border Patrol memo warned that the risk of Iranian sleeper cells operating in the U.S. is at an all-time high. Agents were urged to avoid traveling alone.
The alert follows a string of recent arrests by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Agents detained 11 Iranian nationals illegally living in the U.S., at least three of whom had confirmed ties to foreign terrorist organizations. Among them were a former Iranian army sniper, a member of Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps, and an individual who claimed to have links to Hezbollah.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that some of these individuals entered the U.S. through visa and parole loopholes, including one who came on a K-1 fiancé visa and never updated their immigration status.
Despite having final deportation orders, several remained in the country for years. ICE also arrested a U.S. citizen who had been hiding one of the fugitives and allegedly threatened to shoot agents during the raid.
Iranian illegal border crossings grew in recent years
Federal officials say these incidents underscore what they describe as a new era of border threats.
Since January 2021, Border Patrol has encountered more than 2,500 Iranian nationals at the southern border. The Department of Homeland Security hasn’t disclosed how many were released into the U.S.
Hundreds have been classified as “special interest aliens,” flagged due to their home country of origin raising national security concerns.
The Texas Department of Public Safety has documented encounters with groups from Afghanistan, Iran, Egypt, and Pakistan, often smuggled in alongside migrants from Latin America.