Exclusive: GOP lawmaker seeks crackdown on illegal trucker licenses to end ‘preventable’ deaths

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona is proposing new legislation to crack down on illegal aliens obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.

Americans have witnessed many preventable deaths inflicted by illegal alien truck drivers who often obtained CDLs in blue states that seemingly ignore citizenship or work requirements. The tragic death toll was exacerbated by former President Joe Biden’s administration, which allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood the country within a span of just four years.

‘They gamble with American lives.’

Biggs believes the VERIFY CDL Act will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.

“American citizens should not have to worry that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ border failures are showing up on our highways,” Biggs told Blaze News. “When millions of unvetted, unknown illegal aliens were allowed into the country — which is exactly what the Biden regime turned a blind eye to — the federal government created serious public safety risks far beyond the border.”

“Until every illegal alien is deported by President Trump’s hard work, Congress has a responsibility to close dangerous loopholes. My VERIFY CDL Act ensures commercial driver’s licenses are issued only to individuals legally authorized to work in the United States.”

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Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Biggs’ legislation would look to change that. According to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News, the VERIFY CDL Act would require applicants’ employment to be authorized through the E-Verify program before they can be issued a CDL, adding additional safeguards and closing a highly abused loophole.

“Operating a commercial vehicle is not a right — it is a serious responsibility,” Biggs told Blaze News. “When states issue CDLs without verifying work authorization, they gamble with American lives. My bill puts an end to that recklessness.”

“If you are legally authorized to work in the United States, E-Verify confirms it,” Biggs said. “If you are not, you do not get behind the wheel of a 40-ton vehicle.”

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Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

Biggs noted that mass immigration is not limited to the border, but rather it needs to be addressed at every level, including CDLs.

“It’s not complicated,” Biggs said. “We have seen what happens when verification fails — preventable deaths, broken families, and a system that has lost its integrity.”

“One preventable death is one too many,” Biggs added. “Congress has a duty to act, and this bill does exactly that.”

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