Following reports that 729 Iranian nationals illegally entered the U.S. and were released into the country by the Biden administration, experts are warning that sanctuary jurisdictions with policies obstructing ICE and federal immigration enforcement may be the most vulnerable targets for Iranian-sponsored terror attacks looking to retaliate for the U.S. strikes over the weekend.
The number of Iranians released into the country by Border Patrol agents under former President Joe Biden's administration increased successively each year of the administration. In total, Border Patrol 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 United States.
Just hours after Trump addressed the nation on U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, the DHS released a new memo sounding the alarm on a "heightened threat environment in the United States."
The bulletin states, "The likelihood of violent extremists in the Homeland independently mobilizing to violence in response to the conflict would likely increase if the Iranian leadership issued a religious ruling calling for retaliatory violence against targets in the Homeland."
NBC News reported that Iran sent a message to Trump at the G7 summit last week that it could activate "sleeper cells" to conduct terror attacks in the U.S.
"We have to assume threats may arise," Lora Ries, a director of the Border Security and Immigration Center at the Heritage Foundation, told Fox News Digital.
Ries said that while the government is aware of 729 Iranian illegal immigrants being released into the country under Biden, the real concern is that "we have no idea" how many unknown "gotaways" there could be in the U.S. presently.
She said the concerns are most acute in so-called sanctuary jurisdictions that have policies or, in the case of Los Angeles, populations that are actively obstructing federal immigration authorities from carrying out deportations.
" Democrats need to start supporting deportations," she remarked, pointing out that despite a narrative that ICE agents are arresting innocent immigrants, many of the illegals are serious criminals, or in some cases, even terrorists.
Andrew Arthur, an immigration policy expert at the Center for Immigration Studies, told Fox News Digital that the "ultimate soft target" for a terror attack would be a hospital, especially hospitals in sanctuary jurisdictions. He pointed out Irans recent bombing of a hospital in Be'er Sheva, Israel, demonstrating the regime is willing to carry out such an attack.
"Its a possibility in the United States," said Arthur. "If were trying to think of a soft target that would potentially have catastrophic impacts, it would be a hospital ."
To prevent such an attack, Arthur stressed the importance of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies all working together to monitor and proactively respond to threats.
"Fortunately, DNI [the Director of National Intelligence] should have an idea of what potential targets in the future are. DNI is not going to share that publicly, but all that should flow down through DHS to state and local law enforcement agencies," he explained.
"The problem is that right now, we have all these state and local law-enforcement agencies and sanctuary jurisdictions that really aren't cooperating with DHS," he said. "That could create its own vulnerability."
"It compounds the risk," he went on. "Particularly in California , because I think a lot of law enforcement agencies in California are confused about what they can do and can't do under SB-54 the California Values Act so it could potentially create its own vulnerability."
That being said, Arthur said an Iranian-sponsored terror attack inside the U.S. would likely be a "suicidal move" for the regime and would likely be a "last desperate move." Even so, Arthur said there remains a "real concern" about Iranian-sponsored terror attacks inside Americas borders.
Other potential mass casualty targets could be places such as the National Mall in Washington, D.C., Times Square, Independence Hall in Philadelphia or other highly populated, open areas.
"The threat is real. Whether they're going to use it is a different question," he concluded, adding, "The Biden administration exposed the American people to an unacceptable level of threat."
On Monday evening, Trump posted on social media that "it has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE for 12 hours, at which point the War will be considered, ENDED!"
Fox News Digital's Greg Wehner and Fox News Channel's Bill Melugin contributed to this report.
有报道称，729名伊朗籍人士非法进入美国，并被拜登政府释放入境。专家警告称，那些制定政策阻碍美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）及联邦移民执法的庇护管辖区，可能成为伊朗支持的恐怖袭击最易攻击的目标，以报复美国上周末的打击行动。
在前总统乔·拜登（Joe Biden）执政期间，美国边境巡逻队释放入境伊朗人的数量逐年递增。2021至2024财年间，边境巡逻队共拘捕了1,504名伊朗籍公民，其中729人被释放进入美国境内。
在特朗普就美军对伊朗核设施实施军事打击向全国发表讲话后仅数小时，美国国土安全部（DHS）便发布了一份新备忘录，对"美国国内威胁环境升级"发出警告。
该公告指出："若伊朗领导人发布宗教法令，号召对本土目标实施报复性暴力，那么本土暴力极端分子独立动员起来采取暴力行动以回应冲突的可能性将会增加。"
美国全国广播公司（NBC）报道称，伊朗在上周的七国集团（G7）峰会上向特朗普传递信息，表示可能激活"休眠细胞"在美国境内实施恐怖袭击。
传统基金会边境安全与移民中心主任萝拉·里斯（Lora Ries）向福克斯数字新闻表示：“我们必须假设可能会出现威胁。”
里斯表示，尽管政府已知悉在拜登执政期间有729名伊朗非法移民被释放入境，但真正令人担忧的是，目前美国境内可能还有多少未知的"漏网之鱼"，对此"我们一无所知"。
她表示，这些担忧在所谓的庇护管辖区最为严重，这些地区制定了相关政策，或者像洛杉矶那样，当地居民积极阻挠联邦移民当局执行驱逐行动。
她指出，尽管有说法称美国移民和海关执法局（ICE）特工逮捕的是无辜移民，但许多非法移民实际上是重罪犯，甚至在某些情况下是恐怖分子。她表示：“民主党人需要开始支持驱逐行动。”
移民研究中心政策专家安德鲁·阿瑟向福克斯数字新闻表示，医院——尤其是庇护管辖区的医疗机构——将成为恐怖袭击的"终极软目标"。他以伊朗近期对以色列贝尔谢巴一家医院的轰炸为例，指出该政权有意实施此类袭击。
亚瑟表示："在美国存在这种可能性。如果我们要设想一个可能造成灾难性影响的软目标，那将会是医院。"
为防止此类袭击发生，阿瑟强调联邦、州和地方执法机构必须通力合作，共同监控威胁并主动采取应对措施。
他解释道："所幸的是，国家情报总监（DNI）应当对未来可能的目标有所预判。虽然DNI不会公开这些信息，但所有情报都应通过国土安全部（DHS）逐级传达至各州及地方执法机构。"
他表示："问题在于，目前各州及地方执法机构与庇护管辖区均未与国土安全部充分合作，这种局面可能滋生安全隐患。"
他继续说道："这会加剧风险，尤其是在加利福尼亚州。因为我认为加州的许多执法机构对SB-54（即《加州价值观法案》）规定的权限范围感到困惑，这种困惑可能形成新的执法漏洞。"
尽管如此，阿瑟（Arthur）表示，伊朗在美国境内发动的恐怖袭击对该政权而言可能是"自杀性举动"，也很可能是"最后的绝望之举"。即便如此，阿瑟仍指出，对于伊朗在美国境内策划恐怖袭击的"切实担忧"依然存在。
其他可能造成大规模伤亡的潜在目标包括华盛顿特区的国家广场、纽约时代广场、费城独立厅等人流密集的开放式场所。
“威胁确实存在，但他们是否会动用这种威胁则是另一回事。”他总结道，并补充说，“拜登政府让美国民众暴露在不可接受的威胁级别之下。”
周一晚间，特朗普在社交媒体上发文称，"以色列和伊朗已完全达成一致，将实施为期12小时的全面彻底停火，届时战争将被视为结束！"
福克斯新闻数字频道的格雷格·韦纳和福克斯新闻频道的比尔·梅卢金对本报道亦有贡献。
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