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Over 1,500 Iranian nationals who illegally entered the U.S. at the southern border were arrested during the Biden administration, and nearly 50% of them were released back into the country, according to a senior U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) source.
More specifically, Border Patrol agents arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals from fiscal year 2021 through fiscal year 2024. Of the 1,504 individuals who were arrested, 729 were released into the U.S.
The number of Iranian nationals arrested at the southern border increased year-to-year, with 48 being arrested in FY21; 197 in FY22; 462 in FY23 and 797 in FY24.
Likewise, the number of Iranian nationals released also increased, with 12 in FY21; 40 in FY22; 229 in FY23; and 448 in FY24.
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Border patrol officers arrested 1,504 Iranian nationals at the southern border under the Biden administration, and released 729 of those arrested back into the U.S. (Nicolo Filippo Rosso/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
It is unclear how many of the Iranians released into the U.S. were on the terrorism watchlist, as the Biden administration repeatedly denied Fox News’ Freedom of Information Act requests and appeals for the data. The Biden administration cited “privacy concerns” of the people on the list, as well as “minimal public interest” for denying the requests.
Still, there were over 2 million known gotaways at the border during the Biden administration, and because they were never caught, there is no way of knowing where the individuals were from.
All Iranians are considered “special interest aliens” because of national security concerns. Therefore, they are supposed to receive enhanced vetting from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
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Over 1,500 Iranian nationals were arrested by the border patrol at the southern…
