Recent warnings from former President Donald Trump about the possibility of Iranian “sleeper cells” being present in North America have sparked accusations from Canadian opposition lawmakers. They claim their government is allowing individuals connected to Iran’s regime to remain in the country.
On Wednesday, Trump mentioned that U.S. authorities are currently keeping an eye on Iranian networks suspected of having entered the United States in recent years.
In response to a question from Fox News’ Peter Doocy, Trump commented, “I’ve been briefed, and many people came in because of Biden’s foolish open border policies. But we’re aware of where most of them are, and we’re watching all of them.”
These remarks come amidst increasing concerns among Western security officials regarding Iranian intelligence operations targeting dissidents overseas.
In a related scene, a counter-protester holds an image of Iran’s former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei during a rally supporting the Israel-U.S. conflict with Iran outside the U.S. consulate in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, on March 7, 2026. (Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters)
In Canada, senior members of the Conservative party assert that the government has not taken action against Iranian regime officials, even though individuals connected to Tehran have been identified.
Deputy Conservative leader Melissa Lantsman, immigration shadow minister Michelle Rempel and Pierre Paul-Hus, Conservative Québec lieutenant, called upon the Liberal government, in a statement released in Ottawa, to table a plan within one week to take immediate action to stop Iranian regime activities in Canada.
“The Liberals have known for years that there are hundreds of Iranian regime officials in Canada, 239 of whom have had their visas” canceled, the lawmakers said.
A counter-protester holds signs against the U.S.-Israel conflict with Iran near a rally by people supporting the war in front of the U.S. consulate in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, March 7, 2026. (Kyaw Soe Oo/Reuters)
They added that government officials told a parliamentary immigration committee recently that only one person has been deported so far, citing legal obstacles, including asylum claims, the absence of direct flights to Iran and privacy protections.
“The presence of agents of the Islamic Republic in Canada is not a new issue,” Maryam Shariatmadari told Fox News Digital.
Shariatmadari is one of the faces of the “Girls of Revolution Street” protests against Iran’s mandatory hijab laws who fled Iran after being imprisoned and now lives in exile in Canada.
“For years, the people of Iran have expressed concern about the presence of these individuals and their children in Canada,” Shariatmadari added.
“A clear example is Mahmoud Reza Khavari and Marjan Al-Agha, who are known embezzlers,” she claimed. Iran Wire reported on the case in 2022. “What is striking is that an economic magazine that introduces entrepreneurs has presented the son of Mahmoud Reza Khavari — the former CEO of Bank Melli and a convicted criminal in Iran — as an ‘inspiring businessman’ in Canada and has described him as ‘a young leader.’
“But these days we are seeing more of these individuals,” Shariatmadari added. “Their presence has become more visible, and they are organizing gatherings under the slogan ‘No to War,’ while expressing support for Hamas and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, they remained completely silent about the killing of Iranians.”
Anti-Israel protesters gather outside the Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto synagogue March 7, 2024. The place of worship was one of three synagogues targeted in the first week of March 2026. (Mert Alper Dervis/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Exiled Iranian journalist Mehdi Ghadimi, who now lives in Canada, told Fox News Digital that individuals linked to Iran’s regime often arrive in Western countries through several different channels.
“Some arrive as students, academics or ordinary immigrants but were already connected to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps through family ties or ideological affiliation,” he said. “They often try to identify activists and critics, so those individuals can face legal or judicial problems either in Iran or even abroad.”
Ghadimi said another category operates primarily through financial networks tied to the regime.
“Another group includes people who used to be members of the IRGC or other state institutions and later enter countries like Canada as private investors,” he said. “When someone brings several million dollars for investment, it raises questions about where that money came from.”
He added that wealthy business figures who move capital abroad may also do so with the approval of Iran’s security establishment.
“If someone is moving large amounts of money out of Iran and investing abroad, it is very difficult to do that without the approval of the IRGC and the security institutions of the Islamic Republic,” he said.
Ghadimi also pointed to past corruption scandals involving Iranian officials who moved large sums of money overseas, including the case of Khavari, who fled Iran after a major banking scandal and later settled in Canada.
The criticism comes as Canadian police investigate the disappearance of Iranian dissident Masood Masjoody, a mathematician and critic of Iran’s clerical leadership who vanished earlier this year in Burnaby, British Columbia.
Investigators with Canada’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team say evidence suggests Masjoody was likely the victim of murder, though authorities have not publicly identified suspects, and the investigation remains ongoing, according to The Guardian.
Police say investigators are reviewing Masjoody’s background and personal history as part of the probe, and Canadian media reports have noted aspects of his past that authorities are examining as they work to determine a possible motive.
The case has heightened concerns among Canada’s Iranian diaspora, many of whom have warned for years that Iran monitors and intimidates critics abroad.
Conservatives argue weaknesses in immigration enforcement have allowed individuals linked to the Iranian regime to remain in the country despite visa bans and sanctions imposed by Ottawa.
They are calling on the government to urgently enforce deportation orders against Iranian regime officials, disrupt financial networks linked to Tehran and establish a long-delayed foreign influence registry aimed at exposing agents working on behalf of foreign governments.
“The Liberals can take action against the Iranian regime today, at home within our own borders,” they said in the statement. “Too much is at stake. We expect a plan within the week.”
“It’s not complicated. Iran’s regime must not find safe haven in Canada,” Lantsman said.
The Canadian government directed Fox News Digital to the Canada Border Services Agency, which did not respond to a request for comment.
