DHS says the operation uncovered widespread criminal activity ranging from DUI and drug trafficking to assault, fraud, and child abuse.
Federal immigration authorities say more than 140 illegal immigrant truck drivers have been arrested in Indiana as part of a highway enforcement operation targeting public safety threats, in what officials described as a major step to remove unlicensed and undocumented commercial drivers from U.S. roads.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced the results of the operation on Oct. 30, saying a joint effort between U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Indiana State Police led to the arrest of 223 illegal immigrants near the Illinois state line, including 146 operating semi-trucks or other commercial vehicles.
“Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs,” Noem said in a statement. “And yet, sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses. The Trump Administration is ending the chaos.”
The arrests followed a series of high-profile crashes across several states involving illegal immigrant truck drivers, prompting stepped-up federal and state coordination to remove what the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described as “illegal alien threats to public safety.”
Criminal activity associated with the 223 illegal immigrants arrested during the Indiana operation includes driving under the influence, drug trafficking, theft, burglary, assault, child abuse, domestic battery, prostitution, and fraud, according to the agency.
States Issued CDLs to Illegal Immigrants
More than 40 of the drivers arrested in Indiana held commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued by states including Illinois, California, and New York.
DHS said that recent investigations have uncovered a “disturbing pattern” of illegal immigrants driving commercial vehicles on U.S. roads, posing a threat to public safety.
“In recent weeks, we have seen illegal semi-truck drivers responsible for significant loss of life across the country,” ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons said in a statement. “This was preventable, and that is precisely why we are working to ensure this doesn’t happen in Indiana or Illinois.”
In Florida, ICE lodged a detainer for Harjinder Singh, accused of killing three people while driving a semi-truck without proper authorization. Another driver, Jashanpreet Singh, faces similar charges in California.
In both cases, officials said the drivers were in the country illegally and held commercial licenses issued by states with sanctuary-style policies.
Lyons said the latest operation expanded a Chicago-area enforcement campaign that resulted in the detention of hundreds of illegal immigrant truck drivers who should not be operating on U.S. highways.
The Indiana arrests follow similar sweeps in Oklahoma last month, where ICE agents detained 120 illegal immigrants—including 91 commercial truck drivers—during a three-day operation along Interstate 40. Most of those detained in the sting were operating commercial vehicles with CDLs issued by states such as California, New York, and Pennsylvania.
Stricter Federal Oversight
Last month, the Department of Transportation issued new rules tightening eligibility for commercial driver’s licenses following what it described in a September statement as “a catastrophic pattern of states issuing licenses illegally to foreign drivers.”
Under the emergency directive, states can no longer issue non-domiciled CDLs to individuals without employment-based visas and mandatory federal immigration status checks. California, New York, and Washington were among states warned they could lose federal highway safety funding if they fail to comply.
In September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration announced the results of an audit of non-domiciled CDLs that found widespread noncompliance in multiple states, including California, where more than a quarter of them were issued in error.