FBI Refocuses Agents Amid Iran Retaliation Threats

In response to escalating threats from Iran after U.S. military strikes on Iranian nuclear sites and missile attacks on a U.S. base in Qatar, the FBI is reallocating thousands of agents from immigration enforcement back to counterterrorism, counterintelligence, and cybersecurity roles. This move reverses a Trump-era policy that shifted national security agents to immigration enforcement, a decision widely criticized within the FBI. The reassignment targets field offices in major cities, where agent rotations on immigration cases have been canceled to prioritize national security. The FBI cited mounting concerns about Iranian retaliation, including the risk of sleeper cells, foreign-backed plots, and lone actors operating within the U.S. FBI leadership stressed the importance of continually reassessing resources to confront the most urgent threats to American safety. The agency declined to comment on operational specifics but reaffirmed its focus on national security.