Texas Lt. Gov. Patrick to Newsmax: Shooting Shows 'Sleeper Cells' Threat

Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick on Monday blamed lax border enforcement and foreign threats for a deadly shooting in Austin, Texas, over the weekend.

He said the suspect was a naturalized U.S. citizen who "came here to destroy" the country.

Authorities have not yet released a full account of the motive behind the shooting, which remains under investigation.

Patrick told Newsmax's "Bianca Across the Nation" that the suspect was wearing a shirt with an Iranian flag underneath his outer clothing at the time of the attack.

He used the incident to argue that federal immigration policies under former President Joe Biden have allowed millions of people to enter the United States without proper vetting.

"We've let too many people in this country, either legally — this particular killer was a naturalized citizen — but most illegally through the borders under Joe Biden," Patrick said.

"Nobody was checked. No one was vetted."

Patrick said the U.S. is at risk from "sleeper cells" and that individuals crossing the southern border illegally have been sponsored by Iran to undermine the country.

He did not provide evidence to support those claims.

The lieutenant governor characterized the shooting as part of an ideological struggle, calling it a "battle of darkness and light."

America "better stand up for who we are and what we believe in. And if we don't? If we don't, then our nation is in great peril," he said.

The shooter, he added, "didn't come here to be part of the American dream. No, he came here to destroy that dream and take it away from everyone else and destroy our nation and those who are illegally."

Patrick also praised President Donald Trump, thanking God for sparing him during a campaign rally shooting in Pennsylvania last year and commending what he described as Trump's "courageous action" in confronting foreign threats.

He said Trump's policies would ultimately "change the Middle East" and bring peace to the region.

Trump on Saturday authorized strikes on Iran that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

"Thank God and thank President Trump for taking the courageous action that he did in this battle," Patrick said.

Trump administration officials had publicly urged Tehran to give up its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and end its backing of regional armed proxies, but said Tehran would not engage.

On Feb. 24, Trump in his State of the Union speech said that Iran has been building ballistic missiles that could reach the U.S. homeland — a justification that he repeated as he announced the bombardment of Iran was underway.

Law enforcement officials have not publicly confirmed any ties between the Austin suspect and foreign governments. Federal and local authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the shooting, which happened a day after the U.S. and Israel launched an attack on Iran.

The gunman was identified as 53-year-old Ndiaga Diagne, the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.

The incident comes amid heightened political debate over border security and national security policy as the 2026 election cycle intensifies.

Republicans in Texas have repeatedly called for stricter immigration enforcement and increased state-level measures to deter illegal crossings, while Democrats have defended existing vetting procedures and criticized what they describe as inflammatory rhetoric.

Further details about the victims and the suspect are expected as the investigation progresses.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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