2 men in Houston among 11 Iranian nationals arrested in U.S. by ICE over weekend

HOUSTON - Two men in Houston were among 11 Iranian nationals who were living in the U.S. illegally and were arrested by ICE over the weekend, officials say.

The arrests come as the U.S. struck Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.

According to ICE, officials in Houston arrested Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad and Hamid Reza Bayat. They are both in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad

Timeline:

• According to the agency, Sepehrian entered the U.S. on an F-1 student visa on Dec. 9, 2016.
• On Aug. 19, 2017, he was arrested in the Houston area for allegedly assaulting a family member by impeding breathing, ICE says. His wife alleged that he was threatening her and her family in Iran, and she got a restraining order, according to the agency.
• On July 23, 2018, ICE says the University of Texas terminated his status after he was placed on academic suspension.
• In Oct. 10, 2019, an immigration judge reportedly ordered him to be removed.
• A judge later denied his motion to reopen his case, ICE says.
• When he was arrested on Sunday, ICE says he had a final order of removal and was carrying a loaded 9mm pistol.

Hamid Reza Bayat

The backstory:

According to ICE, an immigration judge ordered Bayat removed nearly 20 years ago, on Aug. 4, 2005.

He was convicted of drug crimes twice and driving on a suspended license once, ICE says. He served time before receiving his final order of removal, the agency says.

9 others arrested by ICE

Dig deeper:

Nine other Iranian nationals were arrested across the U.S. According to ICE, they included a man who allegedly previously served as an Iranian Army sniper, a man with admitted ties to Hezbollah and a known or suspected terrorist.

What they're saying:

"Under Secretary Noem, DHS has been full throttle on identifying and arresting known or suspected terrorists and violent extremists that illegally entered this country, came in through Biden’s fraudulent parole programs or otherwise," said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin. "We have been saying we are getting the worst of the worst out—and we are. We don’t wait until a military operation to execute; we proactively deliver on President Trump’s mandate to secure the homeland."