On Iranian Terrorist Sleeper Cell Threat, Noem Vows to ‘Go After Them Before They Do Anything’

By The Federalist. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem sought Monday to reassure the American people that the Trump administration is actively working to protect the homeland following the U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear sites.

“We are continuing to evaluate every single threat and to proactively go after them before they do anything or take any activity,” Noem told The Daily Signal, when asked about the threat of Iranian terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S.

Following the U.S. targeted attack on three Iranian nuclear sites on Saturday, the Trump administration has warned that the threat of the activation of terrorist sleeper cells in the U.S. has never been higher.

While the threat level is high, it is not new, Noem told reporters at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new facility at the Customs and Border Protection’s Advanced Training Center in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, on Monday.

“We have incredible threats to this country from many nations that are enemies to the United States of America,” Noem told press. “You know, it’s not just Iran, it’s North Korea, Russia, China, consistently every single day are trying to threaten our way of life. So, my job is to do all that I can to protect our country before something bad does happen.”

The U.S. struck Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear sites over the weekend, dropping more than a dozen bunker-buster bombs from B-2 bombers. The bunker-buster bomb is America’s largest nonnuclear bomb. The U.S. also launched Tomahawk cruise missiles from a submarine, striking Iranian nuclear targets. (Read more from “On Iranian Terrorist Sleeper Cell Threat, Noem Vows to ‘Go After Them Before They Do Anything’” HERE)

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AG Bondi reveals ‘high alert’ status as Iranian nationals roam free in US

By Fox News. Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned Monday during a House budget hearing about Iranian nationals who entered the country illegally during the Biden administration after the Trump administration warned the conflict with Iran raised threat levels in the United States.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, asked if the attorney general knew how many Iranian nationals in the United States have been convicted of crimes. Bondi said she was unsure, but that more than 1,000 entered the country during the last administration.

“And I can tell you, we are on high alert, and everyone is looking at that very closely,” Bondi said.

U.S. Border Patrol arrested 1,504 Iranians at the southern border during President Joe Biden’s term, and nearly half of them, or 729, were released into the United States, according to a senior Customs and Border Protection source.

Bondi’s remarks echo those of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which issued a notice one day prior saying that the Iran conflict “is causing a heightened threat environment in the United States.” The DHS cited the possibility of extremists in the United States “independently mobilizing to violence” if Iranian leaders were to call for it. The department also said cyberattacks and incidents of antisemitism could increase. (Read more from “AG Bondi reveals ‘high alert’ status as Iranian nationals roam free in US” HERE)

Photo credit: Gage Skidmore via Flickr