Texas officials say a one‑day enforcement sweep along I‑40 in the Panhandle found 31 commercial drivers without lawful status among 105 inspected, with a majority licensed in California. The joint state–federal operation was highlighted by Gov. Greg Abbott.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said a Nov. 11 commercial vehicle enforcement operation on Interstate 40 in Wheeler County resulted in 105 inspections and the apprehension of 31 drivers later determined to be in the country illegally. Most of those drivers held commercial driver’s licenses issued by California; none were issued in Texas, according to a gubernatorial press release. Federal partners included Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. (gov.texas.gov)
Abbott framed the effort as a road‑safety measure, saying, “When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.” He publicized the results in a Nov. 19 press release and amplified them on social media the following day. (gov.texas.gov)
The enforcement push comes amid heightened scrutiny of licensing and safety after an Aug. 12 crash on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County. Authorities allege truck driver Harjinder Singh attempted an illegal U‑turn, leading to a collision that killed three people. Singh, who prosecutors say was in the U.S. unlawfully, had held commercial licenses in Washington and California and faces vehicular‑homicide charges. (apnews.com)
At the federal level, the U.S. Department of Transportation has tightened oversight of non‑citizen CDL issuance and enforcement. Last month, USDOT said it would withhold $40 million from California over failures to enforce English‑language proficiency rules for commercial drivers. Separately, California is revoking 17,000 commercial licenses issued to immigrants after determining many carried expiration dates that exceeded drivers’ authorized stays—a move the state says is to comply with law, while USDOT has characterized the licenses as improperly issued. (apnews.com)
New emergency federal rules announced in late September would sharply limit which non‑citizens are eligible for CDLs and require verification through federal databases, though a federal appeals court temporarily blocked those rules this month pending further review. (reuters.com)
Florida has also taken legal action tied to the Florida crash. On Oct. 16, Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier asked the U.S. Supreme Court for permission to sue California and Washington, seeking to bar them from issuing CDLs to people who are not U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents. (overdriveonline.com)
