On March 9, a migrant was caught at the southern border claiming links to Iran’s terror network candidly admitting he had come to the U.S. “to make a bomb”. Terrorism on American soil remains a sadly realistic prospect. Leaks from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have already shown large numbers of arrivals from countries that are serious national security concerns. Perhaps the most worrying is the possibility of the Islamist regime in Iran using its state-backed affiliate groups to infiltrate terror operatives into the U.S. through the effectively unguarded southern border. This infiltration of terrorists could be aided by Iran’s alliances with countries close to America itself.
The threat to the American homeland is very real given Iran’s networks of non-state actors in the Americas. Iranian-backed terrorists operate in the tri-border region of South America and are even active in the U.S. itself. Iran’s ally, Hezbollah, designated as a terrorist group by the U.S., has a network operating in 11 different states. These same networks have also been exploiting family reunification laws and marriage scams to get more people into the U.S., meaning even if the border was not effectively open, Iranian-backed groups exploit U.S. immigration law to support Iran’s strategic interests. However, it is not just shadowy non-state groups that Iran could use to harm Americans.
In addition to Iran’s non-state proxies in the Americas, Iran could and has exploited its alliances with enemies of the U.S. in the Americas. These include Venezuela, which has provided Iranian-linked individuals with travel documents. Some estimates place the number at 10,000 documents. Iran maintains close ties with long-term U.S. enemies like Cuba and Nicaragua, the latter of which happily allows its territory to be used by migrants to fly to the U.S. border. The President of Iran has made state visits to these countries, underlining Iran’s ability to form alliances with countries worryingly close to the U.S.
The countries allied to Iran could be used as bases for Iran to send operatives into the U.S., and may even have already done so. This possibility is even greater in light of the Biden administration’s country-specific immigration schemes using parole. The fact that Cuban, Nicaraguan and Venezuelan nationals (or those with travel documents stating they are) can enjoy special access to the U.S. via immigration parole makes these state alliances with Iran more worrying from a national security perspective.
Iran is not only theoretically capable of killing Americans, it has already done so. It has happened in Syria, where Iranian-backed groups killed U.S. troops at air bases in January 2024. Iran is also backing the Houthi militias in Yemen, who fire drones and rockets at U.S. ships on a regular basis. We should not doubt the willingness of Iran to kill Americans, not just in the far-flung outposts of American foreign policy, but in the heart of the U.S. itself.
Protecting the security of Americans at home is one of the strongest arguments for securing the border and was the reason for creating the Department of Homeland Security after the attacks of 9/11. Millions have crossed our border illegally since 2021, many of whom have lied about their identity and even destroyed identity documents. Some have already been uncovered as being linked to terrorists, including one terror suspect released from the border for two weeks before he was tracked down, and migrants linked to ISIS. FBI Director Christopher A. Wray has already warned Congress that the terror threat to America is at a “whole other level.” Few countries have the motivation or means to act on this like Iran does. If we do not secure our borders, especially as tensions in the Middle East mount, Americans may sadly pay the ultimate price for open borders.
Source » fairus