Four Iranian 'special interest aliens' apprehended by Border Patrol attempting to cross into US in October

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has revealed that as of mid-October, a total of four Iranian nationals have been apprehended as they attempted to illegally cross into the US at the Texas border, and were all processed as "special interest aliens."



Sources from CBP told Fox News that an Iranian man in his 40s was detained on Sunday morning in Eagle Pass, Texas after he went through the southern border around 3 a.m.

That Iranian, along with the other three who were arrested, has received the "special interest alien" label due to the nation of origin, as the US government deems Iran as "having conditions that promote or protect terrorism or potentially pose some sort of national security threat to the US," per Fox News.

In addition to these four people, two Lebanese citizens were arrested in Eagle Pass last week. The duo also was classified as "special interest aliens."

Lebanon is the home of the Hezbollah terrorist group. Much like Hamas, Hezbollah is monitored as a terror group by the State Department and has taken in money from Iran. 

Other recent apprehensions include an Egyptian man in his 40s, as well as the arrest of 19 Iranians and 17 Syrians at the Rio Grande Valley Sector.

These encounters come amid a raging conflict in the Middle East after Israel was attacked by Hamas-led terrorists starting Oct. 7, with at least 1,300 Israelis being reported dead since the carnage began.

Last week, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that Iran has "broad complicity" amid the attacks on Israel. He also noted, however, that the government has not "seen any specific evidence that tells us they were wittingly involved in the planning or involved in the resourcing and the training that went into this very complex set of attacks over the weekend."

A Customs and Border Protection source recently told Breitbart that while most "special interest aliens" do not turn out to be terrorists, the massive amount of illegal crossings at the border makes it more difficult for officials to discern who is genuinely seeking a better life vs who may post a danger. 

A Department of Homeland Security threat assessment posted last month warned that "terrorists and criminal actors may exploit the elevated flow and increasingly complex security environment to enter the United States."

"Individuals with terrorism connections are interested in using established travel routes and permissive environments to facilitate access to the United States," the assessment noted.