![[aggregator] downloaded image for imported item #46044](https://newsview.top/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/austin-shooting-2-1024x576.jpg "DHS remains unfunded as Iran sleeper cell fears spike nationwide amid security warnings")
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Concerns about potential Iran-linked sleeper cells are rising as theDepartment of Homeland Securityremains unfunded and Tehran and its proxies threaten retaliation over U.S.-Israeli strikes that American officials say killed nearly 50 top Iranian leaders.
DHS, which oversees many of the federal government’s front-line national security offices, is currently under a partial shutdown after Democrat lawmakers let funding lapse on Feb.14 amid a standoff over the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.The partial shutdown has affected non-essential operations, including administrative offices, as well as delayed paychecks for thousands of DHS employees.
The sleeper cell concerns came into full focus over the weekend when authorities say a Senegalese man opened fire at patrons of an Austin, Texas, bar while wearing a sweatshirt that read “Property of Allah.”
Ndiaga Diagne, 53, of Pflugerville, who was also found with an undershirt featuring the Iranian flag, reportedly entered the U.S.during the Clinton administration on a B-2 tourist visa.He became a naturalized citizen during the Obama administration.
Federal agents comb the scene of a potential terrorist attack shooting in Austin, Texas.(Aaron E.Martinez/Getty Images)
A San Antonio FBI official said the incident is being investigated for a “potential nexus to terrorism.”
DHS SecretaryDHS memo was sentout over the weekend to various law enforcement agencies nationwide warning of potential cyberattacks and lone wolf physical attacks as a result of the U.S.-Israel bombing in Iran.
The memo offered no specific knowledge of individual attacks but warned of lower-level cyberattacks or other violence.
DHS, meanwhile, remains largely unfunded due to an approximately month-long shutdown brought on by Democratic lawmakers’ refusal to approve new agency funding over the Trump administration’s crackdown on illegal immigration, most notably in Minneapolis.
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“It is outrageous that they continue to stall on this because their political ideologies disagree with keeping Americans safe,” said Sen.Joni Ernst, R-Iowa.
Former House SpeakerKevin McCarthy, R-Calif., warned that if there is “some type of attack within America, it is going to be on the Democrats,” pointing to the otherwise porous Mexican border under previous administrations.
The head of cyberdefense agency Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) — which falls under DHS — recently warned that a majority of its workforce would be furloughed as the shutdown drags on.
“When the government shuts down, cyberthreats do not,” CISA Director Madhu Gottumukkala told lawmakers in February, accordingto NextGov.
Gottumukkala, who served as South Dakota State Chief Information Officer under then-Gov.Noem, said the agency would only be able to focus on “anything that is an immediate need and an imminent threat,” versus investigating or searching for new potential issues.
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Sen.
Sen.Tom Cotton, R-Ark., said previous presidential administrations set the groundwork for sleeper cell vulnerabilities in the U.S.(Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
“Unfortunately, we had a wide-open border for four years under Joe Biden.We have no idea who may have gotten into the country during those four years.I don’t want to comment specifically on what happened in Austin until all the facts are known, but I did speak with Kash Patel yesterday, and I can tell you that the FBI is taking every potential threat around the nation very seriously,” Cotton said.
“This is by the way another very compelling reason that we need to fund the Department of Homeland Security immediately,” he said, noting the shutdown is dragging on into a “war against the world’s worst state-sponsor of terrorism.”
One top Democrat did appear to reference Iran’s role as such.
Pennsylvania Sen.John Fettermancalled the U.S.-Israeli offensive a “noble pursuit” – while Rep.Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., claimed “both the U.S.and genocidal Israel do[n’t] care about the laws.”
The House is reportedly set to attempt a vote on DHS funding sometime this week.
European and American security officials speaking on anonymity in the days leading up to the Feb.28 striketold the New York Timesno specific sleeper plots had been uncovered but that there has been an increase in “chatter” among intercepted communications.
Rhode Island Sen.Jack Reed, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that a strike on Iran would risk igniting a wider war, endangering U.S.forces and destabilizing global markets.
“Before any military action is considered, President Trump must come before the American people, explain why any conflict would be necessary, be honest about the risks and costs and present a clear strategy with a defined endgame,” Reed said.
Meanwhile, Texas Gov.
And in New York City, home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel, the NYPD announced “enhanced high-visibility patrols” following the Iran strikes.
NYPD’s top counterterrorism deputyRebecca Weinertold ABC-7the department is “looking really carefully at any threats and following up on leads and making sure that we’re staying ahead of any threat that might materialize here in our city.”
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A student group at Columbia University in Morningside Heights reportedly posted “death to America” after news of Iranian dictator Ali Hosseini Khamenei’s death, while Iranian-Americans celebrated in the streets over the 86-year-old ayatollah’s demise.
� David Spunt contributed to this report.
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