Oklahoma ICE sting busts 34 illegal alien truck drivers, others with rap sheets

An immigration enforcement operation in Oklahoma resulted in dozens of arrests, including 34 illegal alien truck drivers, according to ICE.

‘To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English.’

The arrests announced earlier this week come amid concerns about road safety and national security related to an influx of foreign drivers entering the American trucking industry following the Biden administration’s open-border policies. These concerns have intensified following several recent fatal crashes involving illegal alien truck drivers.

Operation Guardian, a two-day sweep along the I-40 eastern corridor in late October, led to the arrests of 70 illegal aliens. Among those detained were 26 individuals with CDLs and eight others who were operating commercial vehicles without valid licenses, ICE stated.

The operation involved ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as part of a 287(g) partnership. The agreement allows OHP troopers to enforce immigration violations.

“For the second time in just the past month, the state of Oklahoma and ICE have banded together to bolster public safety along Oklahoma’s highways, identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who are in the country illegally and have been recklessly issued a commercial driver’s license by states like California, Illinois, and New Jersey,” stated Marcos Charles, the executive associate director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Many of those arrested who were operating commercial vehicles were not in compliance with English proficiency requirements, according to Charles.

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Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Of the 70 illegal aliens nabbed by immigration officials, 36 reportedly had a prior criminal history with offenses that included assault and battery, soliciting prostitution, and DUI. Two illegal aliens were wanted overseas for fraud and burglary.

Those arrested originated from 15 different countries, including China, Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

A similar September raid in Oklahoma resulted in the arrests of 120 illegal aliens, including 91 who were operating commercial vehicles.

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Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety stated that the CDLs were issued to the illegal aliens by the following states: California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York.

“Operation Guardian continues to successfully keep Oklahomans safe,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said. “To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English. These are commonsense standards that we will continue to enforce.”

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