Not only has the Trump administration declared war on illegal immigration, but a spate of fatal accidents this year involving illegal immigrant truck drivers who have CDLs prompted emergency action from the State Department, the DOT, and DHS.
The State Department paused employment visas for truck drivers. The DOT’s crackdown has involved stricter rules for non-domiciled drivers trying to obtain a CDL. The DOT has also put so-called sanctuary states like California on notice that federal highway funds would be withheld if they didn’t stop issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants. Further, non-compliant states could face losing their licensing programs.
ICE, meanwhile, has been on the move in the Golden State on a mission called “Operation Highway Sentinel.” On Tuesday, they announced that 101 arrests had been made involving illegals who had CDLs:
On Dec. 23, ICE Homeland Security Investigations San Francisco and HSI Los Angeles, along with federal partners, announced the successful conclusion of Operation Highway Sentinel, which resulted in the arrests of 101 illegal aliens truck drivers on California highways. This operation took place throughout California, where Gov. Gavin Newsom issued thousands of commercial driver’s licenses to illegal aliens who then went on to cause multiple high-profile fatal accidents in California, Florida and Oregon.[…]The operation targeted trucking companies in central and northern California suspected of engaging in criminal activity. The industry is widely known to law enforcement to involve criminal organizations engaged in human smuggling, labor trafficking, narcotics trafficking, cargo theft and fraud, as evidenced by multiple independent HSI, FBI and DEA investigations.“Southern California is home to the two busiest seaports in the United States — the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As cargo moves from these ports across the nation, it is essential that those transporting it comply fully with the law to keep our roadways safe,” said HSI Los Angeles Special Agent in Charge Eddy Wang. “Our operation has taken 101 drivers off the streets who should not have been behind the wheel, sending a clear message that violations of our laws and threats to public safety will not be tolerated.”
ICE noted that the countries of origin for some of the illegals who had been arrested included “India, Mexico, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Russia, Georgia, Venezuela, El Salvador and Honduras.”
Similar operations in other states have netted 200+ arrests, ICE also shared. The one in Oklahoma was done in partnership with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol:
Rounding up illegal immigrant truck drivers was also part of Operation Midway Blitz in Chicago:
If you and your family are traveling this week for the Christmas holiday, please stay safe!
– Stacey Matthews has also written under the pseudonym “Sister Toldjah” and can be reached via X. –
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