The Department of Homeland Security announced Monday that it removed from the United States three Iranian nationals it described as “known or suspected terrorists,” alleging all three previously belonged to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
In a written statement, DHS said the deportations are part of a broader push to expel people it says pose public-safety and national-security threats under the Trump administration and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s policies to target “the worst of the worst,” including “known or suspected terrorists.”
The Department of Homeland Security identified the three deported individuals as Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, and Morteza Nasirikakolaki. According to DHS, all three are former members of IRGC, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in 2019 during the Trump administration, citing its long history of terrorist activity, support for terror proxies including Hamas and Hezbollah, and plots against US personnel and interests worldwide.
The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force that reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Through its Quds Force, the IRGC provides training, funding, and weapons to terror groups and has been linked to assassination plots, attacks on US forces, and allies.
DHS said both Mehrani and Khaledi entered the United States illegally through Southern California in 2024 under the Biden administration, with Mehrani arriving in September and Khaledi following in October. Nasirikakolaki, the department stated, entered the country illegally in November 2024, also under the Biden administration and was encountered by US Border Patrol agents near San Luis, Arizona.
In a statement, DHS reiterated that 70 percent of those arrested by ICE are either convicted criminals or have criminal charges. The department added that in President Trump’s first year, ICE arrested 43,305 potential national security risks and arrested and removed more than 1,400 people DHS labels known or suspected terrorists and arrested more than 7,400 gang members.
In a written statement, DHS said the deportations are part of a broader push to expel people it says pose public-safety and national-security threats under the Trump administration and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s policies to target “the worst of the worst,” including “known or suspected terrorists.”
The Department of Homeland Security identified the three deported individuals as Ehsan Khaledi, Mohammad Mehrani, and Morteza Nasirikakolaki. According to DHS, all three are former members of IRGC, which was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by the United States in 2019 during the Trump administration, citing its long history of terrorist activity, support for terror proxies including Hamas and Hezbollah, and plots against US personnel and interests worldwide.
The IRGC is Iran’s elite military force that reports directly to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Through its Quds Force, the IRGC provides training, funding, and weapons to terror groups and has been linked to assassination plots, attacks on US forces, and allies.
DHS said both Mehrani and Khaledi entered the United States illegally through Southern California in 2024 under the Biden administration, with Mehrani arriving in September and Khaledi following in October. Nasirikakolaki, the department stated, entered the country illegally in November 2024, also under the Biden administration and was encountered by US Border Patrol agents near San Luis, Arizona.
In a statement, DHS reiterated that 70 percent of those arrested by ICE are either convicted criminals or have criminal charges. The department added that in President Trump’s first year, ICE arrested 43,305 potential national security risks and arrested and removed more than 1,400 people DHS labels known or suspected terrorists and arrested more than 7,400 gang members.
