On January 26, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) deported three individuals identified as former members of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps to Iran. The agency described these individuals as known or suspected terrorists who had entered the United States during the Biden administration.
The three men—Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, and Morteza Nasirikakolaki—were previously part of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by President Trump in 2019. According to DHS, Mehrani and Khaledi crossed into Southern California illegally in September and October 2024, respectively. Nasirikakolaki entered near San Luis, Arizona in November 2024 where he was encountered by Border Patrol agents.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin commented on the deportations: “Under President Trump and Secretary Noem, the Department of Homeland Security is getting the worst of the worst out of our country and keeping them out – including violent gang members, murderers, pedophiles, and, in this instance, known or suspected terrorists,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. “The American people deserve a safe and secure homeland, free from the threat of foreign terrorism and that is exactly what Secretary Noem has been fighting to give them every single day for over a year now. The Trump administration will not allow criminal illegal aliens who wish to inflict harm upon innocent Americans to walk the streets of our communities. They will be arrested, and they will be deported.”
Data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) indicates that approximately 70 percent of those arrested are either convicted criminals or have pending criminal charges. In President Trump's first year in office, ICE made over 43,000 arrests involving potential national security risks. Since then, more than 1,400 known or suspected terrorists have been removed from the U.S., along with over 7,400 gang members.
