ICE Arrests 91 CDL Drivers Illegally in US During Oklahoma Operation
By: Billal Rahman (Newsweek)
How do these people obtain commercial driver's licenses? Who would entrust them with a truck and cargo worth up to $600k? The insurance and bonding must be costing truck companies a fortune.
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Federal and state law enforcement officers arrested 120 individuals for immigration-related violations during a multiday operation along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Newsweek has contacted ICE and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, to request further information on those apprehended in the enforcement operation.
Why It Matters
The Trump administration is pushing forward with plans to remove millions of migrants without legal status as part of a hard-line mass deportation policy. Critics say the raids sow fear into vulnerable communities, describing the enforcement operations deployed by federal agents as heavy-handed and aggressive. Federal immigration agents have also faced allegations of racial profiling.
...
What To Know
The joint operation, held from September 22 to 25, was conducted by ICE agents and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), the agency said. Law enforcement officials carried out what they described as a "special emphasis operation," focusing on traffic enforcement in the area, the agency said in a news release.
OHP conducted about 520 traffic stops during the three-day period. ICE agents assisted by running records checks on foreign-born individuals encountered during the stops. Ninety-one of those taken into custody were driving commercial vehicles with a commercial driver's license (CDL), 27 were operating passenger vehicles, and two were arrested at a nearby marijuana grow operation, the agency said. CDLs are state-issued credentials required to operate large or heavy vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, buses or other commercial motor vehicles in the United States.
Under ICE's 287(g) Task Force Model, local officers who encounter suspected immigration violators during their regular duties can be designated to question and arrest individuals under immigration law. The 287(g) program, named after a section of the Immigration and Nationality Act, allows ICE to partner with state and local law enforcement agencies by training and authorizing select officers to perform certain federal immigration enforcement functions under ICE supervision. ICE said all OHP troopers involved in the operation had completed credentialing through the program.
According to ICE, the individuals arrested included persons with prior criminal convictions for offenses such as driving under the influence, money laundering, human smuggling, assault and drug-related crimes.
Of the 91 commercial drivers detained, 39 were citizens of India, 13 of Uzbekistan and 12 of China.
ICE said 80 of the 91 drivers had entered the U.S. illegally or were awaiting asylum hearings, while one had a final removal order.
The 27 individuals arrested from passenger vehicles were citizens of Mexico, Guatemala, China or Cuba.
ICE said the commercial driver's licenses held by those arrested were issued in several states—most notably California, with 44; New York, with 14; Pennsylvania, with 12; and Illinois, with 11.
The agency did not provide the names of those arrested.
What People Are Saying
Madison Sheahan, ICE's deputy director, said in a news release: "ICE's 287(g) program clearly demonstrates how federal and local law enforcement agencies can work together to make America safe again. Illegal aliens have no business operating 18 wheelers on America's highways. Our roads are now safer with these illegal aliens no longer behind the wheel. We encourage more state and local law enforcement to sign 287(g) agreements to help remove public safety threats and receive reimbursement funds available to our law enforcement partners."
What Happens Next
Immigration enforcement operations are expected to continue throughout the country as the administration moves forward with plans to carry out widespread deportations.
Be a good human. Grossly derogatory comments, blatantly inflammatory comments, excessive trolling, mean-spirited taunting and insults, scamming, spamming, and off topic comments may be removed in compliance with the site's Terms of Service and the Code of Conduct. The moderators have the final word.
Tags
Who is online
197 visitors
One isolated operation in a small area netted 91 CDL operators on immigration violations? The results suggest the problem is much, much larger nationwide than the gaslighting suggests.
The majority of immigration violators ICE detained aren't even from the Americas so the tired old trope of Mexican truck drivers doesn't apply.
This coordination needs to be made all across the country with State and Federal DOT, ICE and local law enforcement.
It appears that the employers are not conducting the proper background checks that are required by 49 CFR § 391.51 on drivers before they hire.
Also tells me that they are not meeting much in the DOT Regulations. This can lead to some serious fines.
This is killing the legitimate trucking companies who have verified drivers, insurance and are bonded!