The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) raided a home in Los Angeles this week as part of a sweeping investigation into an Iranian human trafficking ring. The raid, which targeted a suspected safe house tied to a network smuggling Iranian nationals into the U.S., comes amid the ongoing conflict between Iran, Israel, and the United States.
Federal agents arrested nine individuals at a San Fernando Valley home in Los Angeles who are reportedly connected to a human smuggling hub tied to national security threats. Seven of them are Iranian nationals who were on the FBI Terror Watchlist and "associates of an Iranian human trafficking network," according to Customs and Border Protection.
“The location has been repeatedly used to harbor illegal entrants linked to terrorism,” CBP wrote on X. “CBP is taking aggressive action to shut down smuggling networks and remove national security threats before they can do harm.”
🚨 U.S. BORDER AGENTS JUST RAIDED a smuggling hub in Los Angeles tied to Iranian nationals on the FBI Terror Watchlist.
— Tony Lane 🇺🇸 (@TonyLaneNV) June 28, 2025
📍Same address where 7 Iranians linked to terror and trafficking were arrested just days ago.
This wasn’t random. This was a terror pipeline hidden in plain… pic.twitter.com/JQZMggFv9y
Border Patrol agents were serving a warrant at the home connected to an investigation into a human smuggling hub when they discovered the Iranian nationals. CBP Assistant Commissioner Hilton Beckham stated that the site in question has repeatedly been used to shelter illegal entrants, including foreign nationals tied to terrorism and listed on the FBI's Terrorist Watchlist. He added that intelligence shows the smuggling network has trafficked individuals from hostile nations like Iran, creating a direct threat to U.S. national security.
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Neighbors told CBS News that a new resident moved into the home roughly six months ago, and they were shocked to learn that individuals on a terror watchlist had been living nearby without their knowledge.
The Trump administration has intensified its deportation push against Iranian nationals following President Donald Trump’s strike on Iran’s top three nuclear facilities. In the aftermath, federal agents arrested 130 Iranians across the country, including individuals flagged as terror suspects or listed on watchlists. Additionally, authorities picked up 11 Iranian nationals and one American citizen in coordinated raids across nine cities, citing growing concerns over potential sleeper cells operating within the U.S.
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