A minor traffic infringement led to a car carrying illegal immigrants being stopped by Texas Department of Public Safety officer on SL-79 in Del Rio in Val Verde County, Texas, on the 23rd of January, 2023. 

During the interrogation, the driver revealed to the officer that he was driving five illegal migrants in the vehicle, and two of them were in the trunk as there was no room in the car.

The authorities determined that one of the migrants brought illegally in the trunk is from Iran, and his name, Alireza Heidari, and date of birth were highlighted as a match on the FBI’s terror watchlist.

Heidari, 29 was taken into Border Patrol custody and was considered to be a match of the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Database, but after a more thorough investigation, Homeland Security authorities decided that Heidari was not a match on the TSDB.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, the driver from Houston was detained for human smuggling. All five illegal aliens were reported to Border Patrol.