Prosecutors announced charges against an Iranian man they say operated a smuggling network that specialized in helping illegal immigrants from Iran sneak into the U.S.
Jafar Tafakori charged as much as $30,000 to get people over the line. He could coordinate guides, housing and transportation as the migrants made their way from South America through Central America and to the U.S.-Mexico border, authorities said Friday.
The network operated during the Biden years, from late 2022 to May 2024, and specialized in Iranians, though it also smuggled others. The Justice Department said he brought “large numbers” of migrants in.
Colombian authorities arrested Mr. Takafori on Thursday at the request of the U.S. government, and he awaits extradition.
“Tafakori’s actions demonstrate the inherent dangers of an open-border policy,” said Justin R. Simmons, the U.S. attorney in western Texas, where the case was brought. “The enemy was at the gate, and the gate was left wide open.”
The indictment, which the Justice Department obtained in March, charges Mr. Tafakori with multiple counts of aiding and abetting bringing an alien into the U.S. for financial gain and one count of conspiracy to bring aliens into the U.S.
