Recent data from Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) suggests that thousands of Iranian nationals could be facing arrest across the country due to immigration-related issues. This figure adds to approximately 1,500 Iranians apprehended by the Border Patrol after illegally entering the U.S. during President Joe Biden’s administration. ICE records indicate that nearly 6,000 Iranians who may have entered legally but have since violated their legal status might be part of an ongoing enforcement effort.
The number of Iranians arrested might soon seem minor when compared to those who are in a certain phase of the removal process, despite possibly having entered the U.S. legally. According to social media reports from journalist Ali Bradley, about 6,000 Iranians in the United States have been identified as removable or are under immediate removal orders.
Bradley’s findings from DHS sources indicate that around 1,300 of the nearly 6,000 Iranian nationals are already criminally convicted. Additionally, 2,970 individuals have final removal orders, with about half actively going through the removal process while the orders remain pending.
Immigration and customs officials manage non-deterministic dockets, which might include individuals who entered the U.S. legally but later violated their entry terms, leading to removal proceedings. Being placed on an undefined ICE docket does not mean that individuals are free from detention; it simply indicates they are not currently held in ICE facilities.
Some immigrants may be detained for criminal convictions, making them removable upon release from state prisons. Such individuals would be informed about ICE after their release.
Others may be involved in the Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program, which could prolong the removal process while it is underway in immigration courts. The ATD approach may involve check-in monitoring, using government-issued smartphones for tracking and regular reporting to ICE.
A recent arrest in New Orleans illustrates an increase in ICE’s focus on Iranians on non-conclusive dockets. A family from Lakeview reported that 64-year-old Mandonnakashanyan was detained, even though she had been in the U.S. for nearly 50 years.
Local reports indicate that ICE agents detained Kashanian outside her family’s home. The family stated that she entered the U.S. with a student visa in the 1970s but could not leave when it expired. They believe she was permitted to stay in removal proceedings years ago, which could delay her deportation to Iran. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling suggests she could still be removed to a third country under current immigration policies.
During Biden’s administration, border patrol agents have intercepted about 1,500 Iranians who illegally entered the country at the southern border, with nearly half released inside the U.S.
As of June 26, over 100 Iranian nationals have been arrested by ICE throughout the country. Reports indicate that 670 Iranian citizens are currently detained in ICE facilities, as the agency continues its efforts to apprehend undocumented Iranian nationals.
Randy Clark, a former Chief of Law Enforcement Business with 32 years of experience in the U.S. Border Patrol, oversaw operations in nine Border Patrol Bureaus in Del Rio, Texas.
