Mexico Detains 2 Iranians Who Were Allegedly 'Under FBI Observation'

The Mexican government did not disclose the details of the alleged FBI investigation.

The agency reported in total five Iranians were detained along with their Haitian driver, who was apparently serving as their guide between the Baja California border cities of Tijuana and Tecate on Wednesday.

The report stated that their car was stopped at a toll booth because agents suspected they were attempting to cross into the US.

There was no immediate confirmation from the FBI. However, there have been public concerns of infiltration by unwanted foreign agents who can take advantage of the large refugee flow into the country.

This is not the first time that Iranians have been detained at the border of Mexico and the US.

In October, US Customs and Border Protection apprehended four Iranians in Texas, adding that they were considered "special interest aliens."

Since the US considers Iran a hostile nation that poses a national security threat, Iranians who enter the country illegally are categorized as "special interest aliens."

Fox News reported a similar incident last year.

A 29-year-old Iranian illegal immigrant whose name and date of birth were initially flagged as a match on the FBI’s terror watchlist was arrested at the US-Mexico border in February 2022, according to Fox News.

Alireza Heidari was being smuggled in the vehicle along with four other illegal immigrants at the border in Val Verde County, Texas.
Later the US Department of Homeland Security determined that Heidari was not a match on the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database.

The Associated Press contributed to this report