Security Expert Issues Ominous Warning To Americans Over Sleeper Cells ‘Within Our Own Borders’

A former Department of Homeland Security adviser is warning that the United States faces a growing danger from sleeper cell activity and says the federal government should raise the national terror threat level after a shooting now being investigated as possible terrorism.

“We are facing a wide variety of threats here, and the problem is, they’re all located within our own borders right now,” former DHS adviser Charles Marino said Monday.

Marino, a former Secret Service supervisory agent, made the comments during an appearance on “Fox & Friends First” after joint U.S.-Israeli strikes killed several Iranian leaders, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The military action has triggered fears of retaliation, with security officials warning that sleeper cells inside the United States could be preparing to act.

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

“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 pointed to what he described as years of weak border enforcement and abuse of immigration programs, arguing that the country is now more exposed to both foreign and homegrown threats.

He specifically cited “the undercutting and exploitation” of asylum and temporary protected status programs, along with broader weaknesses in the legal immigration process.

“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 continued.

“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 said he still has confidence in federal law enforcement’s ability to respond, but he warned that potential enemies may not stop at soft targets. He said critical infrastructure and cybersecurity systems could also be in the crosshairs.

He urged DHS to formally raise the National Terrorism Advisory System level and said Americans should remain alert and work closely with law enforcement if they see anything suspicious.

The warning comes as federal authorities investigate a deadly shooting at a Texas bar as a possible terror attack, while political fights in Washington threaten DHS funding and create fresh concerns about national preparedness.

RELATED: BREAKING: Austin Shooter Identified, Quran Found In Car

Former ATF Special Agent in Charge Bernard Zapor also sounded the alarm, saying public safety should never be sacrificed to political infighting.

“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,” he said.

“Our public safety has to be paramount above all. National security and public safety are the paramount’s 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.”

With tensions rising overseas and fears of retaliation growing at home, the message from security hawks is blunt: the threat is no longer theoretical, and the country cannot afford to look the other way.

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