‘open Borders’ Under Biden Could Help Iran Retaliate With Us Terror Sleeper Cells: Former Fbi Boss

United States officials are sounding nan siren regarding nan threat of terror-backed sleeper cells wrong nan state conscionable hours aft President Donald Trump successfully ordered nan elimination of cardinal nuclear accommodation wrong Iran. 

Just hours aft Trump addressed nan federation connected U.S. subject strikes connected nan Iranian atomic sites, nan DHS released a caller memo sounding nan siren to a "heightened threat situation successful nan United States." 

The bulletin from nan National Terrorism Advisory System did not mention immoderate circumstantial threats but comes arsenic Iranian officials person threatened retaliation. 

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This outer image by Planet Labs PBC shows Iran's underground atomic enrichment tract astatine Fordo aft a U.S. airstrike targeted nan installation Sunday, June 22, 2025.  (Planet Labs PBC via AP)

With nan regime's atomic programme severely group back, and its infrastructure bombarded during Israel's operation, 1 erstwhile FBI leader told Fox News Digital that Iran and its proxies could edifice to their original maneuver -- terrorism. And the separator crisis nether nan Biden management only exacerbates nan threat of panic cells successful nan U.S. activating to harm Americans astatine home.

"The likelihood of convulsive extremists successful nan Homeland independently mobilizing to unit successful consequence to nan conflict would apt summation if nan Iranian activity issued a belief ruling calling for retaliatory unit against targets successful nan Homeland," nan bulletin states. 

"It is our work to support nan federation safe and informed, particularly during times of conflict," nan Department of Homeland Security said successful a connection to Fox News Digital. "The ongoing Israel-Iran conflict brings nan anticipation of accrued threat to nan homeland successful nan shape of imaginable cyberattacks, acts of violence, and antisemitic dislike crimes."

The bulletin points to rule enforcement wrong nan U.S. disrupting "multiple perchance lethal Iranian-backed plots" since 2020, while noting nan Iranian government’s unsuccessful attempts to target critics of its regime. 

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Iranian worshippers outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans arsenic 1 of them holds a image of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks connected Iran, aft Tehran's Friday prayers successful Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025.  (Iranian worshippers outcry anti-U.S. and anti-Israeli slogans arsenic 1 of them holds a image of Iran's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, during an anti-Israeli rally to condemn Israeli attacks connected Iran, aft Tehran's Friday prayers successful Tehran, Iran, connected June 20, 2025. (Photo by Morteza Nikoubazl/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Iran antecedently vowed to retaliate if nan U.S. became progressive successful Israel’s attack, which began aft Israeli airstrikes targeted Iranian subject and atomic accommodation connected June 13. Prior to nan attack, Trump issued a warning to Iran against retaliating, while encouraging nan country’s leaders to travel to a bid woody pinch Israel. Immediately pursuing nan strikes, Trump vowed to target further sites wrong Iran "if bid does not travel quickly." 

The advisory comes aft Trump ordered subject strikes connected Iran’s cardinal atomic accommodation successful what officials are calling "Operation Midnight Hammer," prompting rule enforcement to beryllium connected precocious alert regarding nan threat of overseas adversary operatives conducting an attack connected U.S. soil, pinch thousands of Iranian nationals antecedently crossing complete nan border. 

"Because of nan unfastened borders, we are astatine a superior catch-up phase" Former FBI adjunct head Chris Swecker told Fox News Digital. "We don't cognize wherever those 1000 Iranians are and who knows really galore others sewage crossed nan border. We missed an opportunity erstwhile they caught and released those thousand. We missed nan opportunity to stitchery intel by interviewing them and thoroughly vetting them. We conscionable simply fto them go, which is gross negligence connected nan portion of nan Biden administration."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment. 

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"We don't cognize wherever those 1000 Iranians are and who knows really galore others sewage crossed nan border." 

An operational timeline of a onslaught connected Iran is displayed during a news convention pinch Chairman of nan Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. Dan Caine and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth astatine nan Pentagon connected June 22, 2025 successful Arlington, Virginia. U.S. President Donald Trump gave an reside to nan federation past nighttime aft 3 Iranian atomic accommodation were struck by nan U.S. military.  (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)

Over 1,200 Iranian nationals reportedly entered nan U.S. during erstwhile President Joe Biden’s clip successful office, White House separator czar Tom Homan told Maria Bartiromo connected "Sunday Morning Futures."  The threat of overseas nationals flowing into nan U.S. raises concerns regarding imaginable home sleeper cells driven by overseas violent organizations, according to nationalist information experts. 

"The situation that nan United States has had aft a very agelong play of time, [is that] we had an unfastened border," Michael Balboni, erstwhile Homeland Security advisor for New York authorities and a cybersecurity expert, told Fox News Digital. "Tens of millions of group came crossed and we don't cognize who they are, wherever they came from, what their capabilities are aliases their intentions." 

Swecker indicated nan FBI has chiefly focused its attraction connected homegrown attackers arsenic overseas adversaries flowed into nan country. 

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President Donald Trump arrives pinch Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to speak from nan East Room of nan White House successful Washington, Saturday, June 21, 2025, aft nan U.S. subject struck 3 Iranian atomic and subject sites, straight joining Israel's effort to decapitate nan country's atomic program.  (Carlos Barria/Pool via AP)

"There's a definite organization of Iranians successful nan U.S. that we cognize about, but there's thousands and thousands that we don't cognize astir because of nan unfastened separator situation," Swecker said. "The Bureau was concentrating their resources connected alleged home terrorists for illustration achromatic supremacists and right-wing extremists, and calling them nan astir superior violent threat to this state erstwhile it was perfectly nan world terrorists that should person been nan attraction of nan bureau's efforts."

The FBI declined Fox News Digital’s petition for comment. 

The anticipation of overseas cells carrying retired a home panic crippled was pushed into nan nationalist spotlight past twelvemonth aft national prosecutors announced a personnel of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and 2 U.S.-nationals were arrested for allegedly plotting to execution then-President-elect Trump and a U.S. national captious of nan Iranian regime. 

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"The Iranians person shown a beautiful bully capacity successful position of their intelligence servants of nan state and their operatives being capable to activity clandestinely," Balboni said. "They are reasonably blase erstwhile it comes to that, very determined. The mobility is really galore are successful nan state and nan reply is we don't know."

The U.S. possesses a wide scope of charismatic targets, pinch nationalist information concerns spiking aft Trump ordered nan assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani successful January 2020. 

"They’re not going to quit," Swecker said. "They will ne'er quit. And this was nan correct point to do to return retired their atomic capabilities." 

EXPERTS CONFIDENT IRAN'S NUCLEAR PROGRAM IS ‘NO LONGER’ AFTER MASSIVE US STRIKE

Smoke rises from nan building of Iran's state-run tv aft an Israeli onslaught successful Tehran, Iran, Monday, June 16, 2025.  (AP Photo)

Additionally, captious infrastructure wrong awesome cities remains a premier spot for cells to transportation retired destructive panic plots, pinch Iranian officials apt turning to proxy groups to sow fearfulness wrong nan population. 

"Electrical grids, possibly aesculapian facilities, proscription hubs," Balboni said. "Those types of things that person been a portion of nan playbook erstwhile you person these insurgencies that happened wrong nan nation."  

Balboni points to instances of terror cells conducting pre-operational surveillance wrong nan U.S., adding outer mapping websites supply adversaries pinch a birds-eye position of cardinal infrastructure. 

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"Law enforcement and information unit are really focused now connected trying to forestall thing from happening," Balboni told Fox News Digital. "But nan problem is if you've had tens of millions of group travel crossed nan border, you really don't cognize wherever they are and what their capabilities are." 

As tensions betwixt nan Middle East and nan U.S. proceed to spiral toward a breaking point, nan National Terrorism Advisory System warns of U.S.-based individuals "plotting further attacks" against pro-Israel targets, and U.S. authorities and subject officials. 

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"This is simply a clip for calm, professionalism, accusation sharing and heightened awareness," Balboni said. "This will not beryllium nan first clip we look a situation for illustration this. But surely because of nan hostilities, location is simply a heightened fear, interest and consciousness that these types of attacks could hap successful nan United States."