Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) records show thousands of Iranian nationals may be eligible to be arrested nationwide on immigration-related issues. These are in addition to the approximately 1,500 Iranian nationals whom the Border Patrol detained after entering the country illegally during President Joe Biden’s term. ICE Data shows nearly 6,000 Iranians who may have entered legally but have since violated their legal status may soon be the focus of the ongoing ICE dragnet.
The number of Iranians arrested by ICE since the U.S. military action on Iran’s nuclear sites may soon pale in comparison to the arrest of those who may have entered the United States legally but are currently at some stage in the removal process. According to a recent social media post by reporter Ali Bradley, there are nearly 6,000 Iranian nationals who are inside the United States and are identified as removable or will soon become removable, who ICE is not currently detaining.
According to Bradley, the data she exclusively obtained from DHS sources shows nearly 1,300 of the almost 6,000 Iranian nationals on the ICE non-detained docket have criminal convictions. The information reveals that 2,970 Iranian nationals have final orders of removal, and approximately half of the overall number are in the removal process, pending final orders of removal.
The non-detained docket maintained by U.S. Immigration and Customs officials can include foreign nationals who entered the United States legally but later violated conditions of entry, resulting in the aliens being placed into removal proceedings. When an alien is placed on ICE’s non-detained docket, it does not necessarily mean the alien is not detained; it merely signifies the alien is not detained in an ICE facility.
The docket can include aliens convicted of criminal offenses that make them removable from the country who are being detained in federal or state prisons as they serve any remaining time on their criminal sentences. In such cases, immigration detainers are placed with the facilities, with the hope that ICE will be notified upon the alien’s release.
In other cases, some aliens are placed into ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs, which allow them to remain free while the removal process progresses through the immigration courts—a process that can take years. ATD programs can involve simple check-in monitoring by reporting to ICE offices regularly, the use of ankle monitoring devices, or through government-issued smartphones that allow for the tracking of an alien’s whereabouts.
One recent arrest in New Orleans, Louisiana, shows ICE officials are likely intensifying their arrests of Iranians listed on the non-detained docket. On Sunday, a family in the Lakeview neighborhood reported the arrest of 64-year-old Mandonna Kashanian, who entered the United States nearly 50 years ago.
According to a local news report, the family alleges Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents arrested Kashanian in front of the family home. According to the family, Kashanian entered the United States legally on a student visa in the 1970’s but failed to leave once the visa expired. Kashanian, according to her family, was granted a stay of removal several years ago. That may prevent her removal to Iran, but will not likely prevent her removal to a third country according to existing immigration law as highlighted in a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
As reported by Breitbart Texas, during the four fiscal years of the Biden administration, Border Patrol agents intercepted approximately 1,500 Iranian nationals who entered the United States illegally at the southern border. Of those apprehended by Border Patrol agents, officials say nearly half were released into the U.S. interior.
As of June 26, more than 100 Iranian nationals illegally in the United States were arrested by ICE officer nationwide. According to recent Fox news report, 670 Iranian nationals are in currently being held in ICE detention facilities as the agency ramps up its efforts arrest Iranian nationals in the country illegally.
Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol. Before his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.
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