Politics
NEW: Authorities Arrest 146 Illegal Alien Truckers In Deep-Red State
In a significant crackdown on unlicensed foreign nationals operating commercial vehicles, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem announced the arrest of 223 illegal immigrants in Indiana, with 146 of them being semi-truck drivers, during a news conference in Gary on Thursday.
As part of Operation Midway Blitz, the Trump Administration’s official title for immigration and federal law enforcement operations in the Chicago region, DHS has been cracking down on illegal alien truck drivers. The increased emphasis on the issue comes after two fatal semi-truck accidents in California and Florida that killed six people.
Illegal aliens by way of India — one of whom did not even speak English — have been arrested in connection with both incidents.
Harjinder Singh, who allegedly crossed the southern border illegally in 2018, is accused of causing the August crash in Fort Pierce, Florida. According to records and police body cam footage, Singh failed his CDL test at least 10 times before he eventually obtained it in California and was unable to communicate with responding officers.
In California, an asylum seeker driving a semi-truck was involved in a crash earlier this month that killed three people.
California issued a CDL to Jashanpreet Singh on June 27, according to a report from Fox News. A Department of Transportation audit on Sept. 26 flagged “significant compliance failures” in the state’s licensing process, yet on Oct. 15, officials reportedly upgraded the driver’s license despite federal restrictions.
Operation Midway Blitz was named after Katie Abraham, a victim killed in a hit-and-run allegedly carried out by an illegal immigrant from Guatemala. Noem emphasized the grave risks these drivers pose to American citizens, declaring, “If you are here driving on our streets and highways illegally, you are endangering our citizens, and your days are numbered.”
Noem further highlighted the dangers such drivers present to drivers on American roads, as such illegal alien drivers often lack English proficiency, knowledge of U.S. laws, or the ability to read roadway signs and communicate with authorities.
In addition, Noem stressed that Thursday’s operation highlights the systemic issues with commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) issued in sanctuary states like California, Illinois, and New York, where many of the detained drivers obtained their credentials despite criminal backgrounds including drug trafficking, assault, drunk driving, child abuse, rape, domestic violence, fraud, and prostitution.
Acting U.S. and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons described it as “unconscionable” that illegal aliens hold CDLs and operate 18-wheelers nationwide, criticizing sanctuary cities for endangering motorists by allowing such individuals on the roads. Indiana State Police Secretary Anthony Scott reinforced the public safety imperative, noting that millions of pounds of freight traverse highways daily and that untrained hands on 80,000-pound trucks represent a profound danger.
The Department of Homeland Security said the goal of the operation was to “target criminal illegal aliens terrorizing Americans in sanctuary Illinois.”
