DOJ on ‘high alert’ for Iranian nationals living illegally in US, Bondi says

Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned Monday during a House fund proceeding astir Iranian nationals who entered the state illegally during the Biden medication aft the Trump medication warned the struggle with Iran raised menace levels successful the United States.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, asked if the lawyer wide knew however galore Iranian nationals successful the United States person been convicted of crimes. Bondi said she was unsure, but that much than 1,000 entered the state during the past administration.

"And I tin archer you, we are connected precocious alert, and everyone is looking astatine that precise closely," Bondi said.

TRUMP CALLS IRAN RESPONSE TO STRIKE ON NUCLEAR FACILITIES ‘WEAK,' SUGGESTS RETURN TO DIPLOMACY

Attorney General Pam Bondi hosted a property lawsuit Friday day detailing the charges against Kilmar Abrego Garcia. (Pool)

U.S. Border Patrol arrested 1,504 Iranians astatine the confederate borderline during President Joe Biden’s term, and astir fractional of them, oregon 729, were released into the United States, according to a elder Customs and Border Protection source.

Bondi's remarks echo those of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which issued a announcement 1 time anterior saying that the Iran struggle "is causing a heightened menace situation successful the United States." The DHS cited the anticipation of extremists successful the United States "independently mobilizing to violence" if Iranian leaders were to telephone for it. The section besides said cyberattacks and incidents of antisemitism could increase.

Gonzales asked Bondi astir the menace of Iranian "sleeper cells," to which the lawyer wide said she could "not speech astir that successful this setting."

The enactment of questioning during a proceeding astir the Department of Justice's (DOJ) fund connection for the upcoming fiscal twelvemonth came amid a rapidly evolving struggle successful the Middle East that Trump chose to intervene successful implicit the weekend.

OVER 700 IRANIAN NATIONALS RELEASED INTO THE US DEPSITE TERRORISM CONCERNS

Map of US strikes connected Iran. (Fox News)

The Trump administration carried retired airstrikes connected 3 Iranian atomic facilities, starring to Iran launching a rocket onslaught connected a U.S. subject basal adjacent Doha, Qatar, connected Monday. Trump said the Iranians gave "early notice" of the violative and that nary casualties occurred arsenic a effect of the attack.

Later Monday, Trump announced that a ceasefire betwixt Israel and Iran would instrumentality effect successful a substance of hours, though ceasefire deals person fallen done successful the past, and it remains unclear if the statement volition hold.

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The DOJ brought an indictment against 3 men past twelvemonth successful transportation to a murder-for-hire strategy that allegedly originated successful Iran that progressive assassinating Trump earlier the 2024 election, arsenic good arsenic sidesplitting a journalist. One of the men remains astatine large. He is an Afghan nationalist but was allegedly being paid by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an Iran-based militant group.

"The charges announced contiguous exposure Iran's continued brazen attempts to people U.S. citizens, including President-elect Donald Trump, different authorities leaders and dissidents who knock the authorities successful Tehran," FBI Director Christopher Wray said astatine the clip of the indictment.

Bill Melugin contributed to this report.