Federal and state authorities arrested nearly 250 foreign commercial truck drivers in November alone, warning that cartel operatives and foreign nationals are exploiting America’s commercial driver licensing system to infiltrate freight corridors and endanger national security.
A nationwide crackdown on foreign drivers with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDL) led to the apprehension of nearly 250 drivers in Arizona, Indiana, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and even New York and California. The federally led operation followed orders from President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to remove these often-dangerous drivers from American highways. Many of the drivers were found to be illegally present in the United States.
In Arizona, Border Patrol agents arrested an Uzbekistani national operating a commercial vehicle that resulted in a crash,
In Indiana, DHS confirmed 146 truck drivers were detained after a fatal crash involving a foreign CDL holder sparked outrage. Officials said cartel networks were “exploiting loopholes in the CDL system to move contraband and operatives across interstate corridors.”
In Wyoming, Operation Safe Haul (Nov. 18–20) resulted in 40 arrests and dozens of trucks being pulled off the road for safety violations, including inoperable brakes and falsified documents. ICE officials warned that “foreign nationals driving 40‑ton rigs without proper vetting pose a direct homeland security threat.”
In Texas, 31 drivers were arrested along I‑40 in Wheeler County, most of whom were carrying California‑issued CDLs despite lacking lawful residency. Gov. Greg Abbott blasted California’s licensing policies, saying “cartel operatives are exploiting that loophole to drive through Texas unchecked.”
In New York, Border Patrol agents detained 30 drivers on the Thruway near Buffalo, describing the arrests as evidence of “a national security breach waiting to happen.”
More minor but high‑profile arrests in Kansas and California included suspects tied to terrorism investigations.
The crackdown is part of President Trump’s broader deportation agenda, which aims to purge up to 200,000 foreign CDL holders from the trucking industry. Homeland Security leaders argue that cartel networks and hostile actors could weaponize heavy trucks or use them to smuggle contraband across critical freight corridors.
https://www.breitbart.com/border/2025/11/29/nationwide-raids-nab-250-foreign-cdl-truck-drivers-dhs-warns-cartel-exploitation-threatens-homeland-security/