By Myles Miller
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is moving resources off immigration cases and back to counterterrorism, citing potential threats after the US launched airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites and helped broker a ceasefire between Iran and Israel following nearly two weeks of fighting.
FBI Director Kash Patel said Monday the bureau’s top priority is now stopping possible retaliation inside the US. He warned that the threat of lone actors, sleeper cells and foreign-backed plots has grown.
“Right now the focus, given the nature especially of what just happened, has to be on protecting the homeland and protecting our communities,” Patel told the National Sheriffs’ Association conference in Florida.
A new Department of Homeland Security bulletin warns of a “heightened threat environment” fueled by rising tensions in the Middle East, as well as the lingering fallout from the 2020 killing of Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani. Iran and Israel on Tuesday appeared to be honoring the US-backed ceasefire announced a day earlier by President Donald Trump, despite reports of scattered early violations.
Just weeks ago, the FBI had redirected agents to immigration enforcement, drawing resources away from terrorism, counterintelligence and fraud investigations. The bureau was among several federal agencies — including the Drug Enforcement Administration and the US Marshals Service — enlisted in the Trump administration’s broader push to carry out mass deportations.
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