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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has arrested 11 Iranian nationals across the United States over the weekend, and 2 of those were in the Houston area.
In Houston, Hamid Reza Bayat was one of the two arrested. It turns out he had received an order for removal from an immigration judge nearly 20 years ago, in August of 2004.
Bayat has also been convicted of drug crimes and driving on a suspended license. He is now in ICE custody awaiting his removal proceedings.
The other Houston arrest was Behzad Sepehrian Bahary Nejad. He also has a final order of removal and was arrested carrying a 9mm pistol. He entered the U.S. in December of 2016 on a student visa. He was arrested in 2017 for assaulting a family member.
His status was terminated by the University of Texas in July of 2018 after he was placed on academic suspension, and he received a final order of removal in 2019.