WASHINGTON – In response to questioning today from Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), special agents highlighted the dangers law enforcement officers face in the fight against cartels, as well as the cartel’s presence in American communities and man-made tunnels between Juarez and El Paso.
Additionally, a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) official confirmed the Trump administration’s readiness to address potential Iranian sleeper cells, given the Biden administration released more than 1,000 Iranian nationals into the United States after crossing the border illegally.
Witnesses included:
Grassley’s opening statement is available HERE.
Video and excerpts of Grassley’s questions follow.
On cartels targeting American law enforcement:
Grassley: “There’s a long and tragic history of cartel members targeting American law enforcement. Mr. Allen, would you please briefly elaborate on the threats that you, and the agents you work with, have received?”
Allen: “In my 22 years-plus in the DEA in the Los Angeles area, and in other areas of the world, I’ve experienced several instances of cartels and criminal organizations surveilling our people, both in Mexico and the United States… I’ve personally lost several friends on this job – two of them, very close friends of mine. It’s a dangerous job.”
On the threat of Iranian sleeper cells:
Grassley: “Mr. Perez, Tom Homan disclosed that the Biden administration released 1,272 Iranian nationals into the United States after they crossed the border illegally. According to news reports, Iran has threatened to activate its sleeper cells inside the U.S. How is the FBI preparing for potential sleeper cell activation by Iran?”
Perez: “Obviously terrorism is a top priority for the FBI… [Regarding] any potential entries that may have occurred, the benefit now is that [the FBI] has been working collaboratively, for several months, on immigration enforcement with our Department of Homeland Security counterparts. I feel that we’re well positioned, now more than ever, to leverage that tool... We are well positioned to address that threat [of Iranian sleeper cells] currently.”
On cartels’ presence in U.S. communities:
Grassley: “Mr. Allen, in 2024, your agents arrested El Mencho’s son-in-law in Riverside, California, where he posed as a non-violent immigrant running a lawn business. El Mencho leads the CJNG, a violent cartel that’s flooded the United States with fentanyl and murdered hundreds of individuals. El Mencho’s son-in-law was part of the cartel leadership. What presence did El Mencho’s son-in-law establish in California, and how did he do so?”
Allen: “Working off information provided through a tip, my agents established surveillance at a residence they believed [El Mencho’s son-in-law] was living at, in Riverside, California. It quickly came to our attention that he was living in a gated community, just down the street from the Chief of Police… He was wanted in Mexico for the kidnapping of some Mexican marines, so he faked his own death, got a new name and came to America.”
On the tunnel between Juarez and El Paso:
Grassley: “Mr. Stevens, in January 2025, HSI agents discovered a man-made tunnel between Juarez and El Paso that was reportedly constructed in the last year and was used to smuggle migrants and drugs into the United States. Members on this Committee have cited misleading data regarding who’s bringing fentanyl into our country. What have you learned about this tunnel, and how does it caution against relying solely on seizure statistics at ports of entry for determining how drugs are smuggled into the U.S.?”
Stevens: “Two individuals of my size could walk through that tunnel, side-by-side. So we had significant concerns, because individuals could transit through that tunnel, obviously, unknown and undetected by law enforcement. We know that there could be contraband brought through the tunnel as well, and we also know that money and weapons could be smuggled south through that tunnel.”
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