Hospitals in sanctuary cities could be most vulnerable to Iran terror attacks, warns expert

Following reports that 729 Iranian nationals illegally entered the U.S. and were released into the state by the Biden administration, experts are informing that sanctuary jurisdictions with policies obstructing ICE and national migration enforcement whitethorn beryllium the astir susceptible targets for Iranian-sponsored panic attacks looking to retaliate for the U.S. strikes implicit the weekend.

The fig of Iranians released into the state by Border Patrol agents nether erstwhile President Joe Biden's medication accrued successively each twelvemonth of the administration. In total, Border Patrol arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal twelvemonth 2021 done fiscal twelvemonth 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the United States.

Just hours aft Trump addressed the federation connected U.S. subject strikes connected Iranian atomic sites, the DHS released a caller memo sounding the alarm connected a "heightened menace situation successful the United States." 

The bulletin states, "The likelihood of convulsive extremists successful the Homeland independently mobilizing to unit successful effect to the struggle would apt summation if the Iranian enactment issued a spiritual ruling calling for retaliatory unit against targets successful the Homeland."

‘OPEN BORDERS’ UNDER BIDEN COULD HELP IRAN RETALIATE WITH US TERROR SLEEPER CELLS: FORMER FBI BOSS

Concerns are astir acute successful alleged sanctuary jurisdictions, specified arsenic California oregon Massachusetts, that person policies or, successful the lawsuit of Los Angeles, populations that are actively obstructing national migration authorities from carrying retired deportations. (iStock and Fatemeh Bahrami/Anadolu via Getty Images)

NBC News reported that Iran sent a connection to Trump astatine the G7 acme past week that it could activate "sleeper cells" to behaviour panic attacks successful the U.S.

"We person to presume threats whitethorn arise," Lora Ries, a manager of the Border Security and Immigration Center astatine the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.

Ries said that portion the authorities is alert of 729 Iranian amerciable immigrants being released into the state nether Biden, the existent interest is that "we person nary idea" however galore chartless "gotaways" determination could beryllium successful the U.S. presently.

She said the concerns are astir acute successful alleged sanctuary jurisdictions that person policies or, successful the lawsuit of Los Angeles, populations that are actively obstructing national migration authorities from carrying retired deportations.

MIDNIGHT HAMMER IS 'MISSION ACCOMPLISHED' BUT THERE'S ONE BIG RED FLAG

Protesters look disconnected with constabulary extracurricular of a national gathering successful downtown Los Angeles for an anti-Trump "No Kings Day" objection successful a metropolis that has been the absorption of protests against Trump's migration raids connected June 14, 2025 successful Los Angeles, California.  (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

"Democrats request to commencement supporting deportations," she remarked, pointing retired that contempt a communicative that ICE agents are arresting guiltless immigrants, galore of the illegals are superior criminals, oregon successful immoderate cases, adjacent terrorists.

Andrew Arthur, an migration argumentation adept astatine the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that the "ultimate brushed target" for a panic onslaught would beryllium a hospital, particularly hospitals successful sanctuary jurisdictions. He pointed retired Iran’s caller bombing of a infirmary successful Be'er Sheva, Israel, demonstrating the authorities is consenting to transportation retired specified an attack.

"It’s a anticipation successful the United States," said Arthur. "If we’re trying to deliberation of a brushed people that would perchance person catastrophic impacts, it would beryllium a hospital."

To forestall specified an attack, Arthur stressed the value of federal, authorities and section instrumentality enforcement agencies each moving unneurotic to show and proactively respond to threats.

AMERICAN TRAVELERS SHOULD KNOW ESCAPE ROUTES AT TRANSIT HUBS AFTER IRAN STRIKES, SECURITY EXPERT WARNS

Smokes raises from a gathering of the Soroka infirmary analyzable aft it was deed by a rocket fired from Iran successful Be'er Sheva, Israel, Thursday, June 19, 2025.  (Leo Correa/AP Photo)

"Fortunately, DNI [the Director of National Intelligence] should person an thought of what imaginable targets successful the aboriginal are. DNI is not going to stock that publicly, but each that should travel down done DHS to authorities and section instrumentality enforcement agencies," helium explained.

"The occupation is that close now, we person each these authorities and section law-enforcement agencies and sanctuary jurisdictions that truly aren't cooperating with DHS," helium said. "That could make its ain vulnerability."

"It compounds the risk," helium went on. "Particularly in California, due to the fact that I deliberation a batch of instrumentality enforcement agencies successful California are confused astir what they tin bash and can't bash nether SB-54 — the California Values Act — truthful it could perchance make its ain vulnerability."

That being said, Arthur said an Iranian-sponsored panic onslaught wrong the U.S. would apt beryllium a "suicidal move" for the authorities and would apt beryllium a "last hopeless move." Even so, Arthur said determination remains a "real concern" astir Iranian-sponsored panic attacks wrong America’s borders.

AMERICANS VULNERABLE TO CYBERATTACKS, LONE WOLF THREATS IN WAKE OF IRANIAN AIRSTRIKES: FORMER FBI AGENT

Other imaginable wide casualty targets could beryllium places specified arsenic the National Mall successful Washington, D.C., Times Square, Independence Hall successful Philadelphia oregon different highly populated, unfastened areas. (Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

Other imaginable wide casualty targets could beryllium places specified arsenic the National Mall successful Washington, D.C., Times Square, Independence Hall successful Philadelphia oregon different highly populated, unfastened areas.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

"The menace is real. Whether they're going to usage it is simply a antithetic question," helium concluded, adding, "The Biden medication exposed the American radical to an unacceptable level of threat."

On Monday evening, Trump posted connected societal media that "it has been afloat agreed by and betwixt Israel and Iran that determination volition beryllium a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE … for 12 hours, astatine which constituent the War volition beryllium considered, ENDED!"

Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Fox News Channel's Bill Melugin contributed to this report.