Customs and Border Protection in Yuma, Arizona, announced on Monday the results of a four-day law enforcement blitz that resulted in 36 truck drivers found illegally in the country and slated for deportation.
The move highlights increased cooperation between federal immigration law enforcement and the Department of Transportation.
“During the week of May 11-15, U.S. Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector arrested 52 individuals during Operation Checkmate for being in the U.S. illegally, of which 36 were driving semi-trucks,” CBP wrote in a release.
In March, Yuma Sector Border Patrol announced they'd arrested another 11 Indian national semi-truck drivers in February alone, all found to be present in the United States illegally.
The bust was titled “Operation Checkmate” and focused on “enforcement of immigration statutes aimed at the detection and arrest of illegal aliens operating commercial motor vehicles.”
CBP gave a breakdown of where the truck drivers came from, and where they got their CDLs. In part of a troubling trend, three of the drivers apprehended didn’t possess a CDL at all.
“Of the 36 illegal alien semi-truck drivers arrested, 29 were in possession of commercial driver’s licenses from states such as: California, New York, Washington, and Virginia,” CBP wrote.
California and New York have both been penalized by the Department of Transportation for not issuing CDLs in compliance with federal regs, even after being warned.
DOT withheld millions from each state in federal funding, saying California had issued about 25% of CDLs to non-citizens incorrectly and that New York was the “worst offender” with about 53% issued illegally, according to audits.
Three drivers found in Operation Checkmate “did not possess any form of driver’s license,” wrote CBP. “Thirty of the individuals were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia.”
Those arrested, for the most part, had “Employment Authorization Documents, which were obtained during the Biden administration and are no longer valid,” CBP said. “All individuals were processed in accordance with federal law and will be deported.”
The enforcement blitz mirrors a similar one in in Oklahoma, Operation Guardian, which over 13 months resulted in 600 truck drivers apprehended in partnership with the Department of Homeland Security.
[Related: Oklahoma apprehends 600 CMV drivers, exposes 'well-organized criminal network' in trucking]
“Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector Dustin W. Caudle.
CBP’s release mentioned DOT’s February final rule all but banning non-domiciled CDLs, and hinted at how CBP and DOT have teamed up to crack down on non-citizen drivers.
“The Border Patrol is working together with federal partners to enforce the rule of law and restore integrity and safety to the nation’s transportation system,” the release said. “This will eliminate another magnet for people to illegally come to the U.S., and will strengthen the most secure border in 50 years.”
