A one-day joint commercial vehicle enforcement operation along Interstate 40 in Wheeler County resulted in the apprehension of 31 commercial drivers who were determined to be in the country illegally, according to an announcement from Texas Governor Greg Abbott.
The Nov. 11 operation was carried out by the Texas Department of Public Safety’s Commercial Vehicle Enforcement (CVE) division in coordination with federal agencies, including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. Officials said the initiative was aimed at enhancing road safety by flagging commercial drivers with suspicious or potentially invalid commercial driver licenses (CDLs).
According to information released by the Governor’s Office, DPS CVE troopers conducted 105 commercial vehicle inspections during the targeted operation. Troopers reported that in 31 cases, they were unable to verify the lawful presence of the drivers, despite each presenting a CDL. Those drivers were then referred to ICE, which confirmed that all 31 individuals lacked legal immigration status.
In a statement, Abbott underscored road safety concerns related to unverified or unlawfully obtained commercial licenses. “Millions of Texans drive on our highways, roads, and streets every day,” he said. “When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans.”
Abbott also criticized states that issue driver licenses to individuals without legal immigration status. “While liberal states like California issue licenses to illegal immigrants and risk the lives of Americans,” he said, “Texas will work with our federal partners to maintain safe roads and apprehend illegal immigrants to protect our communities.”
State officials reported that most of the CDLs presented by the 31 drivers were issued in California. None were issued in Texas.
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