Former Secret Service Agent Issues Heightened Warning About Sleeper Cell Risks In America

Law enforcement and national security officials are urging the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to elevate the national terrorism threat level following recent U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iranian leadership and a deadly shooting in Texas that investigators are examining as a possible act of terrorism.

Former DHS advisor Charles Marino said Monday that the current threat environment warrants formally raising the National Terrorism Advisory System (NTAS) level.

“We are facing a wide variety of threats here, and the problem is, they’re all located within our own borders right now,” Marino said during an appearance on “Fox & Friends First.”

Marino, a former Secret Service supervisory agent, spoke after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes reportedly killed several Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The strikes have prompted retaliation threats and heightened concerns among U.S. security officials about potential sleeper cell activity inside the country.

“There’s no doubt that law enforcement and intelligence agencies are operating at an elevated threat level here in the United States,” Marino said.

He argued that U.S. border policies have contributed to what he described as a more vulnerable domestic threat environment.

“That’s based on the correct operating assumption that the United States has been allowed to be infiltrated with a myriad of threats from around the globe, thanks in large part to the policies of the Biden administration, which turned our borders into a sieve,” Marino said.

Marino cited what he described as “the undercutting and exploitation” of asylum and temporary protective status programs, as well as weaknesses in the legal immigration system.

“What you have is you now have communities comprised of immigrants in the United States that have been allowed to segregate themselves based on culture and ideologies, and what this leads to is an ability to become radicalized,” he said.

“And as reported, sometimes this radicalization is focused on those with mental health issues, those going through a tough time in their lives… this also impacts American citizens as well, who are open to becoming radicalized.”

Marino reiterated his call for DHS to formally elevate the NTAS level and urged Americans to remain vigilant and cooperate with law enforcement authorities.

His comments came as federal authorities investigate a deadly shooting at a bar in Austin, Texas, as a potential act of terrorism.

Two people were killed and 14 others were injured when a gunman opened fire at the bar. The suspect, who was shot and killed by police, was wearing clothing that read “Property of Allah” and featured an Iranian flag design. Authorities said the gunman used both a pistol and a rifle during the attack.

Former ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard Zapor also warned that the United States faces growing security vulnerabilities, particularly amid funding uncertainty for DHS.

“It makes no practical sense whatsoever, and it puts our country and our communities down to something like a restaurant or a bar in Austin, Texas, potentially at risk for a really unnecessary and ridiculous motive, I would say, political,” Zapor said.

“Our public safety has to be paramount above all. National security and public safety are the paramounts of our democracy, and it’s something we have to treat with ultimate care and that nothing like politics interferes with the ability to protect our citizens.”

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