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Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Tuesday said the department is reviewing interviews with some individuals who crossed the border under former President Joe Biden to identify potential threats following the conflict with Iran.
Senate Judiciary Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, questioned Noem during a DHS oversight hearing, asking about the “millions of people” who entered the U.S. under Biden’s “open border policy” and what steps Homeland Security has taken to protect against potential Iranian sleeper cells and related terrorism.
Noem replied that DHS works with intelligence agencies and law enforcement to investigate and find any threats on U.S. soil.
“Not only that, we go back and we are getting some of the individuals in some of the programs that we may have concerns about looking at social media, also going through those interviews that are necessary for some of our programs that the Biden administration abused and perverted under their time there as well,” Noem said.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
“We know that we have many dangerous individuals that came in unvetted, and we are working every single day to find them and to make sure that we’re preventing the next attack and preventing the next crime they may perpetuate against the American people,” the secretary continued.
The comments come after the joint U.S.–Israel strikes on Iran on Saturday morning that officials say targeted Iranian leadership and key military installations.
A map showing the joint U.S.-Israel strikes against Iran, which began on Saturday. ()
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The conflict has led American counterterrorism agencies to quietly monitor suspected sleeper cells on U.S. soil, stepping up surveillance amid heightened fears of possible retaliation from Iran-linked operatives or sympathizers, Digital previously reported.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is sworn in before she testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee oversight hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Tuesday, March 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
The sleeper cell concerns came into full focus over the weekend when authorities say a Senegalese man opened fire at patrons of an Austin, Texas, bar while wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah.”
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also learned Monday that a DHS memo was sent out over the weekend to various law enforcement agencies nationwide warning of potential cyberattacks and lone wolf physical attacks as a result of the U.S.-Israel bombing in Iran.
Digital’s Amanda Macias and Charles Creitz contributed to this report.
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