(LibertySociety.com) – ICE’s Shocking Raid Uncovers Iranian Terror Operatives Living Freely in America for Years Despite Deportation Orders
Key Takeaways
- ICE arrested 11 Iranian nationals with criminal records and terror ties across 8 states in a 48-hour operation
- Former IRGC member with Hezbollah connections was living in Minnesota despite a 2022 deportation order
- A known terrorist watchlist suspect had been living illegally in the U.S. for nearly 8 years after lying on visa applications
- Former Iranian Army sniper was discovered in Alabama with his military ID card
- The Biden administration allowed these threats to remain in the country despite escalating tensions with Iran
Iranian Military and Terror Operatives Found Living Among Americans
In a stunning revelation of national security failures, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested 11 Iranian nationals with criminal records and terror ties during a 48-hour operation spanning June 22-24, 2025. The operation, which covered nine cities across eight states, exposed how individuals with direct connections to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and Hezbollah have been living freely within American communities, some for years despite deportation orders. Five of those arrested had prior criminal convictions ranging from grand larceny to illegal weapons possession.
The most alarming case involved Mehran Makari Saheli, arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota, who was identified as a former member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps with admitted connections to Hezbollah. Despite being ordered removed from the United States in 2022, Saheli remained in the country illegally for three years. His criminal record included convictions for fraudulent immigration documents and illegal firearm possession, raising serious questions about how such a high-risk individual could evade authorities for so long.
Another disturbing case involved Yousef Mehridehno, who was arrested in Mississippi after being added to the U.S. terrorist watchlist in February 2025. Investigators discovered Mehridehno had been living illegally in America for nearly eight years after lying on visa applications. The fact that a known or suspected terrorist could remain undetected for such an extended period highlights catastrophic failures in America’s immigration enforcement system, especially concerning individuals from adversarial nations.
Military Operatives Infiltrating Through Legal Immigration Channels
Perhaps most concerning was the arrest of Ribvar Karimi in Alabama, identified as a former Iranian Army sniper who served from 2018 to 2021. Karimi had entered the United States on a K-1 fiancé visa, a legal immigration pathway that apparently failed to identify his military background. At the time of his arrest, authorities discovered Karimi still possessed his Iranian military identification card, suggesting he maintained ties to the Iranian regime while living on American soil.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that while there are “no current, credible threats to the U.S. homeland,” these individuals “represent a threat to public safety” due to their criminal records and potential extremist connections. This carefully worded statement fails to address how these individuals were allowed to remain in the country for extended periods despite their backgrounds, especially following recent U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities that heightened tensions between the two nations.
Pattern of Enforcement Failures Endangering Americans
The timing of these arrests raises serious questions about the effectiveness of America’s immigration enforcement policies. ICE reported that 68 Iranian nationals were arrested in the previous fiscal year, 47 with criminal convictions. Yet many of those detained in this recent operation had been living illegally in the United States for years, including individuals directly connected to organizations designated as terrorist entities by the U.S. government.
“This administration has consistently prioritized open borders over national security, allowing individuals with ties to terrorist organizations to remain in our communities,” said former DHS official Thomas Homan. “The fact that a former IRGC member with Hezbollah connections could ignore a deportation order for three years shows a complete breakdown in our immigration enforcement system.”
The arrests spanned multiple states including Minnesota, Mississippi, Alabama, California, New York, Colorado, and Texas, demonstrating how widely dispersed these potential threats had become throughout American communities. Five of the detainees had prior convictions for serious crimes including grand larceny, drug possession, and firearm offenses, yet they remained free until this targeted operation.
National Security Implications Amid Rising Tensions
These arrests come at a particularly sensitive time in U.S.-Iran relations, following American airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities on June 22. While officials have clarified that no direct links to active terror plots were established among those arrested, the presence of individuals with military training and terrorist connections raises alarming possibilities about potential sleeper cells or intelligence gathering operations within American borders.
The case of Mehridehno is particularly troubling, as he managed to live illegally in the United States for nearly eight years after lying on visa applications. This represents a fundamental failure of both the visa vetting process and subsequent immigration enforcement, allowing someone eventually deemed a terrorism risk to establish a long-term presence in the country.
For American citizens concerned about national security, these arrests highlight the ongoing vulnerability created by lax immigration enforcement and insufficient vetting of individuals from countries hostile to American interests. While the Biden administration has repeatedly claimed the southern border crisis is under control, these cases demonstrate how potential threats can enter through various channels and remain undetected for years despite clear red flags in their backgrounds.
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