Is Tim Scott’s Warning on Sleeper Agents in America Really ‘False?’

Senator Tim Scott issued a sobering warning to Americans during Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate about the growing threat to the American homeland amid Israel’s war against Hamas. “I believe we have sleeper terrorist cells in America,” the senator said. “Thousands of people have come from Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Iraq.”

Fortunately, NBC News speedily reassured its readers that Scott’s assessment was “likely false.” Not the part about the thousands of Middle Easterners streaming into the United States since 2021 — that much is true. The notion that these “special interest aliens” from countries that promote terrorist activity present a terroristic threat to the U.S. — to say nothing of foreigners from trouble spots all over the globe who enter the U.S. legally and overstay their visas or evade the scrutiny of law enforcement — is simply unfounded, the outlet maintained. “While Scott said he ‘believes’ there are sleeper cells, he did not cite any evidence,” NBC News authoritatively declared, “and there is scant proof of any such sleeper cells.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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Senator Tim Scott issued a sobering warning to Americans during Wednesday night’s GOP primary debate about the growing threat to the American homeland amid Israel’s war against Hamas. “I believe we have sleeper terrorist cells in America,” the senator said. “Thousands of people have come from Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Iraq.”

Fortunately, NBC News speedily reassured its readers that Scott’s assessment was “likely false.” Not the part about the thousands of Middle Easterners streaming into the United States since 2021 — that much is true. The notion that these “special interest aliens” from countries that promote terrorist activity present a terroristic threat to the U.S. — to say nothing of foreigners from trouble spots all over the globe who enter the U.S. legally and overstay their visas or evade the scrutiny of law enforcement — is simply unfounded, the outlet maintained. “While Scott said he ‘believes’ there are sleeper cells, he did not cite any evidence,” NBC News authoritatively declared, “and there is scant proof of any such sleeper cells.”

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.