A collaboration between the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) that began in October has resulted in 82 truck drivers being detained by ICE for immigration offenses.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey on Dec. 4 announced the results of the collaborative effort through ALEA’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit (MCSU). The partnership, initiated October 27, has yielded substantial operational successes and strengthened public safety along Alabama’s major interstate corridors, Ivey said.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency officers have partnered with ICE to conduct multiple operations targeting truck drivers for immigration enforcement.Office of Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey
As part of its targeted enforcement strategy, ALEA focused on high-crash rural interstate corridors, with heavy commercial vehicle traffic. Since the partnership began, approximately 242 individuals encountered during CMV inspections have been referred to ICE for immigration status checks. Of those, ICE detained 82 individuals based on their immigration status. Among the 82 detained, 12 did not have a driver’s license of any kind, and the remaining held out-of-state licenses.
The majority of the 82 detentions occurred during two targeted operations conducted Oct. 27-30, and Nov. 16-18. Additionally, ICE personnel have been integrated into ALEA’s routine commercial vehicle enforcement assignments when available.
“Alabama is leading the way when it comes to going after illegal bad actors in trucking,” Gov. 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.”
[Related: Texas joins trucking immigration crackdown in recent enforcement effort]
Alabama Trucking Association President & CEO 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,” said Colson. “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.”
Colson added that Alabama’s recent actions “align with the trucking industry’s Trucking Resurgence action plan, which is a nationwide roadmap to systematically root out those in trucking who operate illegally and harm the reputation of a strong and proud industry.”
Similar operations in Wyoming, Oklahoma, Indiana and Texas have resulted in dozens more truck drivers detained by ICE.
[Related: ATA, trucking execs reveal plan for non-domiciled CDL, trucking data overhaul]
