COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Two Iranian nationals were arrested by ICE officials in Colorado Springs on Sunday, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
DHS said that Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour were taken into custody for being in the country illegally, according to a post from the agency on social media. DHS said that the two men were living together at the time of the arrest.
ICE arrested 11 Iranian nationals illegally in the U.S. over the weekend. These arrests reflect @Sec_Noem’s commitment to keeping known and suspected terrorists out of American communities.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 24, 2025
🧵The criminal illegal aliens arrested include an individual with admitted ties to…
This is not the first time immigration officials have encountered the men, according to DHS. Shafiei's first run-in with officials was in Seattle, Washington, in January 1981. DHS claims a judge ordered his removal in January 1987. DHS said Shafiei has a criminal history of drug crimes, assault and child abuse.
In its social media post, DHS claimed that Mehdipour was known to officials after coming into contact with the U.S. Border Patrol in 2023 in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas. He was processed as an expedited removal at this time, according to the department.
Both of the men are in ICE custody and waiting for removal proceedings. The department did not state where they are being held.
DHS said this was part of a weekend nationwide operation where 11 Iranian nationals were arrested for being in the country illegally, coinciding with President Donald Trump's strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.
DHS said, "an individual with admitted ties to Hezbollah, a known or suspected terrorist, and an alleged former sniper for the Iranian army," was arrested, but did not clarify whether Mahmoud Shafiei and Mehrdad Mehdipour were implicated in the statement.
