About 1,500 Iranians were intercepted at the border during the Biden Administration, but it’s the unknown number who got through that is alarming officials — who told The Post “sleeper cells” are a grave potential threat to the nation.
“We have no idea how many people got around obviously. The numbers are deeply concerning,” said Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee who previously served as US ambassador to Japan during the first Trump administration.
About half of the intercepted Iranians were released into the country, Hagerty said, apparently referencing a Fox News report last year that 1,504 Iranians were arrested at the border between 2021 and 2024, with 700 released into the country pending court cases.
The US has long listed Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The number of Iranians intercepted at the border grew to 1,650 between 2022 and 2025, according to Customs and Border Patrol data cited by the nonpartisan Niskanen Center. Many flew through Sao Paolo, Brazil, a “hub” for passport fraud.
