ICE arrests 100+ illegal alien truck drivers in California operation

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more than 100 illegal alien truck drivers on California highways in Operation Highway Sentinel, launched after a string of deadly crashes linked to commercial driving licenses (CDLs) issued under Gov. Gavin Newsom’s policies.

Federal authorities said the sweep was launched after multiple fatal crashes across several states involving illegal alien truck drivers licensed in California, underscoring growing concerns that the state’s commercial licensing policies are putting motorists nationwide at risk.

Those arrested included illegal aliens from India, Mexico, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Nicaragua, Russia, Georgia, Venezuela, El Salvador and Honduras.

“Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary state policies are costing American lives,” ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan said. “His government knowingly issued thousands of CDLs to illegal aliens who had no business driving at all, let alone behind the wheel of a massive semi-truck. These drivers get their licenses, leave California, then terrorize roads all over the country.”

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ICE arrested more than 100 illegal alien truck drivers in California’s Operation Highway Sentinel following deadly crashes tied to state-issued CDLs. (Department of Homeland Security)

“ICE is stepping in where his state failed,” Sheahan added. “Just like our operations in Oklahoma and Indiana, we are taking these dangerous illegal alien truckers off the roads and making California streets safe again.”

ICE said in a press release that Operation Highway Sentinel was launched in direct response to growing concerns that criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on U.S. roads cause multiple fatal accidents in states like California, Florida and Oregon, claiming “eight innocent lives.”

ICE arrested more than 100 illegal alien truck drivers in California’s Operation Highway Sentinel following deadly crashes tied to state-issued CDLs. (Department of Homeland Security)

The agency accused California, under Newsom’s leadership, of issuing thousands of CDLs to illegal aliens, some of whom could not read English or understand road signs.

Fox News Digital has reached out to Newsom’s office for comment on the matter.

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Similar operations targeting illegal aliens have been executed in Indiana, New York and Oklahoma, and have resulted in the arrest of over 200 illegal immigrant truck drivers who were issued CDLs.

“This week HSI, along with our partners, conducted enforcement operations targeting illegal alien commercial truck drivers across California’s Central Valley in the interest of public safety,” Tatum King, the special agent in charge at Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Francisco, said. “In the wake of multiple deadly motor vehicle accidents involving illegal aliens operating as commercial truck drivers, federal law enforcement is taking action to prevent further tragedy.”

ICE arrested more than 100 illegal alien truck drivers in California’s Operation Highway Sentinel following deadly crashes tied to state-issued CDLs. (Department of Homeland Security)

The latest operation in California targeted trucking companies in central and northern portions of the state that were suspected of engaging in criminal activity, ICE said.

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ICE also said the trucking industry is known by law enforcement to involve criminal organizations engaged in human smuggling, labor trafficking, narcotics trafficking and cargo theft, among other things.

Of the 101 illegal alien truck drivers arrested during the operation, all will be held by ICE pending immigration proceedings.

ICE arrested more than 100 illegal alien truck drivers in California’s Operation Highway Sentinel following deadly crashes tied to state-issued CDLs. (Department of Homeland Security)

Earlier this year, an Indian national who was issued a CDL by California allegedly killed a carload of people after attempting to make an illegal U-turn on a highway in Florida.

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The Florida Attorney General’s Office said in October that the driver, Harjinder Singh, failed his CDL test 10 times in two months before finally receiving a license in 2023 in Washington State.

The Washington company that trained Singh for his CDL attested that he could speak English, even though he struggled to speak it proficiently, the senior official said. Still, Washington issued Singh his first CDL, and California later granted him another.

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Officials investigating the wreck in Florida said Singh failed English and road sign tests. He’s accused of jackknifing his 18-wheeler during an illegal U-turn, causing a van to smash into the side of the semi, leaving three people dead.

The Florida AG’s office has since sued California and Washington in a Supreme Court filing to prevent both states from issuing CDLs to illegal immigrants. The lawsuit accuses the states of failing to comply with federal safety and immigration status requirements.