With increased national focus on the trucking industry, federal and state authorities are stepping up efforts to crack down on illegal truck drivers to address concerns about road safety and national security.
A one-day operation last week in Texas led to the apprehension of 31 illegal alien truck drivers, according to Republican Governor Greg Abbott’s office.
‘When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.’
The joint commercial vehicle enforcement operation on November 11 in Wheeler County along I-40 involved multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Texas Department of Public Safety, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the governor’s office reported on Wednesday.
Law enforcement officers inspected 105 vehicles as part of an effort to identify suspicious commercial driver’s licenses. DPS troopers referred 31 drivers to ICE after they were unable to verify their lawful presence in the U.S., despite presenting CDLs.
“It was determined that all 31 individuals were in the country illegally,” the governor’s office reported, noting that most of the licenses were issued by California, with none issued in Texas.
“Millions of Texans drive on our highways, roads, and streets every day,” Abbott stated. “When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.”
RELATED: Trump DOT hammers Gov. Shapiro, threatens to pull millions after state hands CDL to ‘suspected terrorist’ illegal alien trucker
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
“This joint state and federal operation along one of the nation’s longest transcontinental highways removed illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles from Texas roads,” Abbott continued. “While liberal states like California issue licenses to illegal immigrants and risk the lives of Americans, Texas will work with our federal partners to maintain safe roads and apprehend illegal immigrants to protect our communities.”
Meanwhile, in Oklahoma, Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) has similarly launched efforts to remove illegal immigrant truckers from the roads.
RELATED: Oklahoma ICE sting busts 34 illegal alien truck drivers, others with rap sheets
Photo by George Rose/Getty Images
He provided an update in early November about Operation Guardian, which has also conducted enforcement along the I-40 corridor, noting that it has already resulted in the arrest of over 100 illegal alien truck drivers.
“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,” said Marcos Charles, the executive associate director for ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations. “Many of the illegal aliens arrested behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound tractor trailer can’t even read basic English, endangering everyone they encounter on the roads.”
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