Another state has cooperated with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to apprehend truck drivers who are believed to be operating illegally.
This time, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency worked with ICE on targeted enforcement from Oct. 27 through Oct. 30 and from Nov. 16 through Nov. 18 along “high-crash rural interstate corridors.”
According to a Dec. 4 news release from the Alabama Governor’s Office, the inspections led to 82 individuals being detained based on their immigration status. Twelve of the drivers did not have a driver’s license of any kind, and the other 70 held out-of-state licenses.
“Alabama is leading the way when it comes to going after illegal bad actors in trucking,” Gov. Kay Ivey said. “I’m proud of ALEA for taking decisive action and grateful for our strong partnership with ICE. Alabama will not look the other way while illegal immigration and illegal operators threaten the safety of our communities or undermine the integrity of our trucking industry. If you are here illegally and breaking our laws or putting folks at risk on our highways, you will be held accountable in our state.”
In Land Line’s attempt to obtain more details about the raids, the truck drivers and trucking companies involved, the Alabama Governor’s Office deferred questions to ICE. As of press time, ICE had not responded to Land Line.
Alabama Trucking Association President Mark Colson praised the coordinated efforts and emphasized their importance to the industry.
“Alabama’s trucking industry is built on the hard work of family-owned small businesses and professional drivers who follow the rules and operate safely, but a growing number of illegal operators and bad actors who exploit regulatory loopholes are compromising safety and undercutting hard-working Alabamians who move our economy,” Colson said. “Fortunately, due to the leadership and enforcement actions by Gov. Kay Ivey and ALEA, Alabama is doing its part to keep our highways safe and keep the bad actors out of the trucking industry.”
ICE also has worked with several other states, including Texas, Wyoming and Oklahoma, to target commercial motor vehicle operations. LL
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