‘Open borders’ under Biden could help Iran retaliate with US terror sleeper cells: former FBI boss

United States officials are sounding the alarm regarding the menace of terror-backed sleeper cells wrong the state conscionable hours aft President Donald Trump successfully ordered the elimination of cardinal nuclear facilities wrong Iran. 

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

The bulletin from the National Terrorism Advisory System did not mention immoderate circumstantial threats but comes arsenic Iranian officials person threatened retaliation. 

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This outer representation by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's underground atomic enrichment tract astatine Fordo aft a U.S. airstrike targeted the installation Sunday, June 22, 2025.  (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

With the regime's atomic programme severely acceptable back, and its infrastructure bombarded during Israel's operation, 1 erstwhile FBI brag told Fox News Digital that Iran and its proxies could edifice to their archetypal maneuver -- terrorism. And the borderline crisis nether the Biden medication lone exacerbates the menace of panic cells successful the U.S. activating to harm Americans astatine home.

"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," the bulletin states. 

"It is our work to support the federation harmless and informed, particularly during times of conflict," the Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "The ongoing Israel-Iran struggle brings the anticipation of accrued menace to the homeland successful the signifier of imaginable cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic hatred crimes."

The bulletin points to instrumentality enforcement wrong the U.S. disrupting "multiple perchance lethal Iranian-backed plots" since 2020, portion noting the Iranian government’s unsuccessful attempts to people critics of its regime. 

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Iranian worshippers outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans arsenic 1 of them holds a representation of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks connected Iran, aft Tehran's Friday prayers successful Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025.  (Iranian worshippers outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans arsenic 1 of them holds a representation of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks connected Iran, aft Tehran's Friday prayers successful Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Iran antecedently vowed to retaliate if the U.S. became progressive successful Israel’s attack, which began aft Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian subject and atomic facilities connected June 13. Prior to the attack, Trump issued a warning to Iran against retaliating, portion encouraging the country’s leaders to travel to a bid woody with Israel. Immediately pursuing the strikes, Trump vowed to people further sites wrong Iran "if bid does not travel quickly." 

The advisory comes aft Trump ordered subject strikes connected Iran’s cardinal atomic facilities successful what officials are calling "Operation Midnight Hammer," prompting instrumentality enforcement to beryllium connected precocious alert regarding the menace of overseas adversary operatives conducting an attack connected U.S. soil, with thousands of Iranian nationals antecedently crossing implicit the border. 

"Because of the unfastened borders, we are astatine a superior catch-up phase" Former FBI adjunct manager Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital. "We don't cognize wherever those 1000 Iranians are and who knows however galore others got crossed the border. We missed an accidental erstwhile they caught and released those thousand. We missed the accidental to stitchery intel by interviewing them and thoroughly vetting them. We conscionable simply fto them go, which is gross negligence connected the portion of the Biden administration."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

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"We don't cognize wherever those 1000 Iranians are and who knows however galore others got crossed the border." 

An operational timeline of a onslaught connected Iran is displayed during a quality league with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth astatine the Pentagon connected June 22, 2025 successful Arlington, Virginia. U.S. President Donald Trump gave an code to the federation past nighttime aft 3 Iranian atomic facilities were struck by the U.S. military.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Over 1,200 Iranian nationals reportedly entered the U.S. during erstwhile President Joe Biden’s clip successful office, White House borderline czar Tom Homan told Maria Bartiromo connected "Sunday Morning Futures."  The menace of overseas nationals flowing into the U.S. raises concerns regarding imaginable home sleeper cells driven by overseas violent organizations, according to nationalist information experts. 

"The situation that the United States has had aft a precise agelong play of time, [is that] we had an unfastened border," Michael Balboni, erstwhile Homeland Security advisor for New York authorities and a cybersecurity expert, told Fox News Digital. "Tens of millions of radical came crossed and we don't cognize who they are, wherever they came from, what their capabilities are oregon their intentions." 

Swecker indicated the FBI has chiefly focused its attraction connected homegrown attackers arsenic overseas adversaries flowed into the country. 

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President Donald Trump arrives with Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to talk from the East Room of the White House successful Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, aft the U.S. subject struck 3 Iranian atomic and subject sites, straight joining Israel's effort to decapitate the country's atomic program.  (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)

"There's a definite colonisation of Iranians successful the U.S. that we cognize about, but there's thousands and thousands that we don't cognize astir due to the fact that of the unfastened borderline situation," Swecker said. "The Bureau was concentrating their resources connected alleged home terrorists similar achromatic supremacists and right-wing extremists, and calling them the astir superior violent menace to this state erstwhile it was perfectly the planetary terrorists that should person been the absorption of the bureau's efforts."

The FBI declined Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

The anticipation of overseas cells carrying retired a home panic crippled was pushed into the nationalist spotlight past twelvemonth aft national prosecutors announced a subordinate of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and 2 U.S.-nationals were arrested for allegedly plotting to execution then-President-elect Trump and a U.S. national captious of the Iranian regime. 

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"The Iranians person shown a beauteous bully capableness successful presumption of their quality apparatus and their operatives being capable to enactment clandestinely," Balboni said. "They are reasonably blase erstwhile it comes to that, precise determined. The question is however galore are successful the state and the reply is we don't know."

The U.S. possesses a wide scope of charismatic targets, with nationalist information concerns spiking aft Trump ordered the assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani successful January 2020. 

"They’re not going to quit," Swecker said. "They volition ne'er quit. And this was the close happening to bash to instrumentality retired their atomic capabilities." 

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Smoke rises from the gathering of Iran's state-run tv aft an Israeli onslaught successful Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025.  (AP Photo)

Additionally, captious infrastructure wrong large cities remains a premier spot for cells to transportation retired destructive panic plots, with Iranian officials apt turning to proxy groups to sow fearfulness wrong the population. 

"Electrical grids, possibly aesculapian facilities, proscription hubs," Balboni said. "Those types of things that person been a portion of the playbook erstwhile you person these insurgencies that happened wrong the nation."  

Balboni points to instances of terror cells conducting pre-operational surveillance wrong the U.S., adding outer mapping websites supply adversaries with a birds-eye presumption of cardinal infrastructure. 

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"Law enforcement and information unit are truly focused present connected trying to forestall thing from happening," Balboni told Fox News Digital. "But the occupation is if you've had tens of millions of radical travel crossed the border, you truly don't cognize wherever they are and what their capabilities are." 

As tensions betwixt the Middle East and the U.S. proceed to spiral toward a breaking point, the National Terrorism Advisory System warns of U.S.-based individuals "plotting further attacks" against pro-Israel targets, and U.S. authorities and subject officials. 

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"This is simply a clip for calm, professionalism, accusation sharing and heightened awareness," Balboni said. "This volition not beryllium the archetypal clip we look a situation similar this. But surely due to the fact that of the hostilities, determination is simply a heightened fear, interest and consciousness that these types of attacks could hap successful the United States."