Texas Immigration Sting Pulls 31 CDL Holders Off the Road
Gov. Abbott Says Most Drivers Detained Had California CDLs
Key Takeaways:
- A joint sweep by Texas DPS and federal immigration agencies along I-40 in Wheeler County removed 31 commercial drivers for lacking lawful U.S. residency.
- The operation comes as federal regulators scrutinize states over non-domiciled CDLs, with an August FMCSA audit finding a 49% compliance failure rate in Texas.
- FMCSA ordered Texas to correct its licensing program and reissue noncompliant credentials as similar enforcement actions expand in other states.
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A joint operation between federal and state law enforcement along Interstate 40 in Texas resulted in 31 commercial drivers being taken off the road for lacking lawful residency in the United States.
The was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety alongside agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and ϳԹland Security Investigations. A total of 105 commercial vehicles were inspected along a stretch of I-40 in Wheeler County, about 100 miles east of Amarillo in a section of the Texas Panhandle about 14 miles from the Oklahoma border. Officials from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration also participated.
“When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans. This joint state and federal operation along one of the nation’s longest transcontinental highways removed illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles from Texas roads,” Gov. Greg Abbott said.
Abbott’s office noted that a majority of the drivers detained were holding commercial driver licenses issued by California. None of the drivers were holding Texas CDLs.
California is under pressure from federal regulators to provide details on the residency status of 24,000 CDL holders currently licensed there. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to pull federal funding from states that do not comply with emergency rules halting issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, but that rule is currently under review.
Texas is among the states facing increased pressure.
An FMCSA audit in August found a 49% failure rate for federal regulatory compliance across a sample size of 123 non-domiciled CDLs issued in Texas from June 2024 through August. The state has a total of 9,600 drivers with current non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs.
Texas apprehended 31 illegal immigrant drivers in the Panhandle.
Most of them had been licensed in California.
This is an operation by the Texas Department of Public Safety and federal law-enforcement.
The mission continues. — Greg Abbott (@GregAbbott_TX)
“This is an unacceptable deviation from FMCSA’s regulations when issuing credentials to operate commercial motor vehicles,” wrote FMCSA Chief Counsel Jesse Elison in a 20-page letter sent Oct. 23 to state leaders outlining licensing and permitting irregularities. “DPS must take immediate corrective action to audit its non-domiciled CDL program” and correct the deficiencies, he said. Texas was also ordered to void or rescind and reissue all non-domiciled CLPs and CDLs that failed to comply with federal regulations at the time of issuance, renewal, transfer or upgrade.
“The state of Texas is an important partner in FMCSA’s mission to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities involving large trucks and buses, and the agency makes this preliminary determination to help Texas come into substantial compliance,” Elison stated.
Law enforcement in Oklahoma and Indiana also have recently joined with ICE to target enforcement operations against undocumented foreign truckers.
Recently, U.S. Customs and Border Protection led a similar crackdown in New York with assistance from ICE. Federal agents arrested 30 undocumented migrants holding valid CDLs issued by California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon and Pennsylvania.
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