Texas busts 31 illegal immigrant truckers in one-day operation, most held California CDLs
Ari Hoffman Seattle WA
“When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that state and federal authorities apprehended 31 illegal immigrant commercial truck drivers during a one-day enforcement sweep along Interstate 40, escalating concerns about unvetted and improperly licensed commercial drivers operating nationwide.
The joint “commercial vehicle enforcement” operation took place on November 11 in Wheeler County and involved the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA).
During 105 commercial vehicle inspections, DPS troopers were unable to verify the lawful presence of 31 truck drivers, even though each presented a state-issued commercial driver’s license. All 31 were referred to ICE, which later confirmed that every one of them was in the United States illegally. According to DPS, most of the CDLs were issued in California, a state that allows driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants and has faced repeated scrutiny over its commercial licensing practices. None of the licenses came from Texas.
Governor Greg Abbott blasted California’s policies in his statement announcing the operation
“Millions of Texans drive on our highways every day,” Abbott said. “When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.”
“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.”
The discovery in Wheeler County comes amid a growing list of deadly incidents involving illegal immigrant truck drivers who obtained CDLs in states with weak or improperly enforced licensing standards. One of the most high-profile cases involved Harjinder Singh, an illegal immigrant who crossed the southern border in 2018. Despite failing English-language and road-sign tests, he obtained a California and Washington commercial driver’s license. In August, he was charged in Fort Pierce, Florida, for a catastrophic crash that killed three people. Federal investigators later determined that several states, including California and Washington, were issuing CDLs to individuals who did not meet federal requirements.
Another recent case involved Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old illegal immigrant from India who entered the United States in 2022 and was released by the Biden administration under its “alternatives to detention” policy. In November, Singh was arrested on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated after allegedly plowing his semi-truck into congested traffic on Interstate 10 in San Bernardino County, California. The fiery crash killed at least three people and injured several others. Toxicology tests confirmed he was impaired, and ICE has since placed a detainer on him.