(Headline USA) U.S. Customs and Border Protection officials revealed this week that they detained a fourth Iranian this month who was trying to cross the southern border illegally.
CBP said the man was taken into custody on Sunday morning in Eagle Pass, Texas, after crossing the border around 3 a.m. The illegal alien reportedly gave himself up to border agents voluntarily after crossing.
The man, along with the three other Iranian immigrants detained at the border, are considered “special interest aliens” because they come from countries that pose a national security threat to the U.S.
Several other “special interest aliens” from Middle Eastern countries have been detained this month as well. Just last week, CBP agents said they apprehended two Lebanese nationals in Eagle Pass. Lebanon harbors Hezbollah, a terrorist organization that has threatened to join Hamas’s recent attack on Israel.
In the Rio Grande Valley Sector, officials have apprehended 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians since Monday.
The reports come as officials raise concerns about a potential terrorist attack within the U.S.
FBI Director Christopher Wray warned law enforcement last week to be on guard against the ripple effects of Hamas’s attack after former Hamas chief Khaled Meshaal encouraged supporters to participate in a “Day of Jihad” on Oct. 13.
“In this heightened environment, there’s no question we’re seeing an increase in reported threats, and we’ve got to be on the lookout, especially for lone actors who may take inspiration from recent events to commit violence of their own,” Wray said.
The Department of Homeland Security also warned that “terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States” and admitted that agents have encountered a growing number of illegal aliens on the terrorist watch list.
“Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States,” the agency said.
