Dozens of illegal alien truck drivers busted with licenses from deep blue states
Arizona Operation Nets 95 Illegal Truck Drivers, Seizes Drugs and Stops Human‑Smuggling Attempts
A coordinated raid carried out by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and other agencies in the Yuma sector of Arizona between August 10 and 14 this year led to the arrest of 95 undocumented truck drivers who had obtained state‑issued commercial driver’s licenses. The bust also halted two human‑smuggling incidents, yielded the arrest of four smugglers and 17 smuggled immigrants, and seized 74 pounds of methamphetamine and 169 pounds of marijuana.
The 95 drivers had earned their commercial driver’s licenses in states across the country—76 from California, six from New York, and the remainder from a handful of other states. CBP officials say the operation was aimed at cracking down on the use of foreign drivers to move drugs and people across the southern border, a problem that persists even as overall border crossings have fallen sharply in recent months.
“We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats, whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle told Fox News Digital. Caudle added that the operation was part of an ongoing effort to curb the flow of illegal goods and people.
The bust resulted in the arrest of 143 suspects from 18 different countries, including the 95 truck drivers, the four smugglers and the 17 smuggled aliens. CBP said the seized drugs were worth millions of dollars. The drug seizure alone—74 pounds of meth and 169 pounds of marijuana—underscores the scale of smuggling operations that continue to operate at the border.
The operation was conducted as part of a broader pattern of interdictions by CBP. Earlier this year, the agency prevented a vehicle carrying a rocket‑propelled grenade launcher from crossing the border, discovered dozens of immigrants crammed into a semi‑truck, and intercepted a boat off the coast of the Dominican Republic with the assistance of a Black Hawk helicopter.
At the federal level, the Department of Transportation is finalizing a rule that would restrict commercial driver’s licenses to holders of H‑2A, H‑2B, and E‑2 non‑immigrant visas—categories that involve more stringent background checks. The new regulation would also prohibit the use of an Employment Authorization Document as proof of eligibility.
“The unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000‑pound big rig,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a press release announcing the rule. “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are putting the safety of the driving public first. From enforcing English‑language standards to holding fraudulent carriers accountable, we will continue to attack this crisis on our roads head‑on.”
The Yuma sector, located along the Arizona–Mexico border, has long been a hotspot for smuggling and illegal migration. While the number of border encounters has dropped dramatically—from over 144,000 in December 2024 to just 33,000 in July—the operation shows that illicit trafficking remains a persistent threat.
As CBP and other agencies continue to pursue aggressive enforcement actions, the new DOT rule aims to close one of the loopholes that smugglers have exploited for decades. The combined effort signals a continued federal focus on curbing both human trafficking and drug smuggling at the southern border.