Former Yuma Sector Border Patrol Chief Warns of Iranian Nationals Evading Removal

2,663 Iranian nationals with federal court-ordered deportations are living inside the United States, and Chris Clem, the retired chief of the Yuma Border Patrol Sector, says the system meant to remove them has failed on two fronts: flawed vetting during the border surge years and a diplomatic dead end that makes removal orders nearly impossible to enforce.

Clem, who served 27½ years with U.S. Border Patrol before retiring December 31, 2022, used national media appearances on NewsNation to press the case that those known cases, combined with an unknowable population of gotaways who eluded agents entirely, constitute a serious national security gap. "When you look at some sort of sleeper cell and nexus to terrorism, you have to look at what is driving that," Clem said. He warned that the country "cannot afford to turn a blind eye."

The Yuma Sector has more direct exposure to this population than any other sector in the country. In FY2020, Yuma agents apprehended 8 Iranian nationals, more than half of the 14 caught by every other sector combined nationwide. In February 2021, Yuma had already matched that combined total for the new fiscal year when agents arrested 11 Iranian citizens, including two children, who crossed near San Luis, Arizona, via a bridge near County 21st Street and the Salinity Canal. CBP noted at the time: "Iran is a designated Special Interest Country and the agents of Yuma Sector work diligently to protect our borders for the safety of our nation. Border security is national security."

Homeland Security data from 2025 put the full scope in context. Border Patrol arrested 1,750 Iranian nationals who entered illegally between 2021 and 2024; CBP encountered an additional 11,436 at ports of entry and along the U.S.-Mexico border over the same period. Those cases feed into 5,511 Iranian nationals with active immigration proceedings, of whom 2,663 already carry judge-signed removal orders and have not left.

A core reason those orders go unenforced is a diplomatic reality with no quick fix. The U.S. has never reached a repatriation agreement with Iran. Unlike Mexico and Central American nations, Iran has no deportation framework with Washington, making removal orders nearly impossible to execute even when a federal judge signs one.

Clem's critique of the vetting process pointed to a gap he witnessed firsthand. "We were releasing people within hours and (officials) were saying they were properly vetted," he said, noting that Border Patrol agents seeking promotion face background checks taking two to four weeks. He argued that USCIS processing backlogs created conditions where individuals with suspected terrorist ties may have cleared initial screening before thorough checks were returned. Some migrants with suspected connections to Hezbollah and Hamas were later flagged as threats after their release. Congressional testimony from 2023 found that Terror Watch List apprehensions at the southwest border reached 258 between 2021 and mid-2023, against roughly 20 per year in prior years.

In June 2025, ICE arrested 11 Iranian nationals over a single weekend across the country. Mehrzad Asadi Eidivand, an Iranian citizen with a final removal order, was arrested in Tempe, Arizona, and charged with being an alien in possession of a firearm. Morteza Nasirikakolaki, who had been encountered near San Luis, Arizona, in November 2024, was among three deported by DHS with alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, alongside Mohammad Mehrani and Ehsan Khaledi.

Border encounters dropped from 2.1 million in fiscal year 2024 to 443,000 in fiscal year 2025 after the Trump administration ended catch and release; of 307 Iranians apprehended in the administration's early months, none were released into the country. Clem, now a border security advisor to Americans for Prosperity, argues the absence of a deportation treaty with Tehran means the 2,663 Iranians with removal orders represent a structural problem that tougher enforcement alone cannot solve.