DOJ on ‘high alert' for Iranian nationals living illegally in US, Bondi says
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.
Gonzales asked Bondi about the threat of Iranian "sleeper cells," to which the attorney general said she could "not talk about that in this setting."
The line of questioning during a hearing about the Department of Justice's (DOJ) budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year came amid a rapidly evolving conflict in the Middle East that Trump chose to intervene in over the weekend.
The Trump administration carried out airstrikes on three Iranian nuclear facilities, leading to Iran launching a missile attack on a U.S. military base near Doha, Qatar, on Monday. Trump said the Iranians gave "early notice" of the offensive and that no casualties occurred as a result of the attack.
Later Monday, Trump announced that a ceasefire between Israel and Iran would take effect in a matter of hours, though ceasefire deals have fallen through in the past, and it remains unclear if the agreement will hold.
The DOJ brought an indictment against three men last year in connection to a murder-for-hire scheme that allegedly originated in Iran that involved assassinating Trump before the 2024 election, as well as killing a journalist. One of the men remains at large. He is an Afghan national but was allegedly being paid by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iran-based militant group.
"The charges announced today expose Iran's continued brazen attempts to target U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, other government leaders and dissidents who criticize the regime in Tehran," FBI Director Christopher Wray said at the time of the indictment.
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June 23, 2 a.m. EDT Iranian military officials warned that the U.S. strikes will be met with a 'decisive response,' as the country's army chief, Major General Amir Hatami, accused America of 'committing crimes' against the Iranian state. In a separate televised statement, an Iranian military spokesperson addressed the U.S. President directly and said: 'Gambler Trump, you can start this war, but we will be the ones who end it.' June 22, 11 p.m. EDT The U.S. Navy-led Joint Maritime Information Center issued an advisory on Sunday, warning that the U.S. strikes on Iran were a 'significant regional development, escalating concerns for the maritime industry operating in the Arabian Gulf and adjacent waters.' The center said 'the maritime threat level remains ELEVATED' and recent events create 'ongoing uncertainty in the maritime domain,' however, U.S.-associated vessels 'have successfully transited the Strait of Hormuz without interruption, which is a positive sign for the immediate future.' 10:30 p.m. EDT According to NBC News, Iran sent a message to Trump through an intermediary during last week's G7 summit, warning that it would activate sleeper-cells to carry out terror attacks inside the U.S. 10 p.m. EDT In a post on his Truth Social platform, Trump claimed Iran's nuclear sites sustained 'Monumental Damage' from the U.S. strikes, citing satellite images. The president added: 'Obliteration is an accurate biggest damage took place far below ground level. Bullseye!!!' 9:30 p.m. EDT Earlier on Sunday, the president raised the prospect of regime change in Iran, despite other officials in his administration insisting that the U.S. was not seeking such a thing. In a post, Trump wrote 'It's not politically correct to use the term, 'Regime Change,' but if the current Iranian Regime is unable to MAKE IRAN GREAT AGAIN, why wouldn't there be a Regime change??? MIGA!!!' A short while later, Trump wrote that the B-2 bomber pilots who struck Iran 'have just landed, safely, in Missouri.' 12 p.m. EDT Iran launched about 40 missiles at targets in Israel, the Associated Press confirmed, injuring 23 people, while the Israeli Air Force struck targets in four cities across Iran, the Israel Defense Forces confirmed in a statement on X, dropping munitions on targets including command centers and missile strikes killed at least seven members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and two conscripts, The New York Times reported, citing Iranian state-affiliated media. 10 a.m. EDT Vice President JD Vance told 'Meet the Press' the U.S. was 'not at war with Iran, we're at war with Iran's nuclear program,' adding the U.S. has 'no interest in boots on the ground.' 'I certainly empathize with Americans who are exhausted after 25 years of foreign entanglements in the Middle East,' Vance said, adding 'I understand the concern, but the difference is that back then we had dumb presidents, and now we have a president that actually knows how to accomplish America's national security objectives,' taking an apparent swipe at former President George W. Bush, whom Trump has blasted for years over his handling of the invasion of Iraq. Vance also responded to criticism from members of Congress who condemned the administration for making the strike without seeking congressional approval, insisting that 'the idea that this was outside of presidential authority, I think any real, serious, legal person would tell you that's not true.' 8 a.m. EDT 'This mission was not, and has not been about regime change,' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said at a press conference, calling the strike a 'precision operation.' Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine announced the mission's codename was 'Operation Midnight Hammer,' which involved strikes with massive ordnance penetrator bombs, Tomahawk missiles and a decoy operation. Caine said the military was unaware of any shots fired at the U.S. bombers on the way into Iran or on the way out after dropping their payloads. June 21, 10 p.m. EDT Trump addressed the nation in a brief speech from the White House, claiming that 'the strikes were a spectacular military success.' He warned Iran against retaliating, saying the U.S. was prepared to strike more targets should that happen. 'There will either be peace or there will be tragedy for Iran,' Trump said. June 21, 7:50 p.m. EDT Trump in a Truth Social post announced the U.S. struck the 'Fordow, Natanz, and Esfahan' nuclear sites in Iran, noting 'A full payload of BOMBS was dropped on the primary site, Fordow.' The strike was conducted by seven B2 Spirit bombers that took off from an Air Force base in Missouri overnight, Hegseth and Caine said Sunday. One of those bombers dropped two massive ordnance penetrators on a nuclear facility in Fordo at 2:10 a.m. local time, Caine said—the first of 14 bombs dropped across Iran. Additionally, a submarine launched more than two dozen Tomahawk cruise missiles at the nuclear facility in Esfahan around 5 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Caine said. Caine added the operation also involved launching more bombers to the Pacific as a decoy, which he called an 'effort known only to an extremely small number of planners and key leaders.' Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi called the U.S. operation an 'outrageous, grave, and unprecedented violation of the fundamental principles of the charter of the United Nations and international law.' Araghchi condemned Trump for what he called 'abusing our commitment to diplomacy' and 'deceiv[ing] his own voters' after campaigning to end 'forever wars' in the Middle East. The U.N. Security Council scheduled a 3 p.m. EDT emergency meeting at the behest of the Iranian government, the Associated Press reported Sunday morning. 'American deterrence is back,' Hegseth said. 'We will act swiftly and decisively when our people, our partners or our interests are threatened.' The escalation in the Middle East began on June 13 after Israel launched a surprise campaign of airstrikes at key Iranian nuclear facilities, initially killing at least 78 people. Iran responded by launching volleys of missiles at Israeli targets in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. The two adversaries continued to exchange strikes over the course of the week, but the U.S. initially stayed out of the conflict. On Thursday, Trump abruptly announced he would make a decision about joining Israel's war against the Middle Eastern nation within two weeks, urging Iran to make a deal. The U.S. and Iran had spent weeks attempting to negotiate a new nuclear deal in Oman, but the talks were suspended after the Israeli campaign began.
