U.S. Border Patrol agents detained 95 illegal immigrants holding state-issued commercial driver’s licenses during a five-day Arizona operation that also resulted in human-smuggling arrests and seizures of methamphetamine, marijuana and a firearm.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A five-day Border Patrol operation in Arizona resulted in the detention of 95 illegal immigrants who held commercial driver’s licenses issued by U.S. states, including 76 with California licenses, federal officials announced Aug. 31.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection said agents detained 143 people from 18 countries during the operation. Of that total, 95 were identified as illegal immigrants who possessed state-issued commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs.
Federal officials did not release the drivers’ names or countries of origin.
California accounted for the overwhelming majority of licenses held by the detained drivers, with 76 issued by that state. Six drivers carried New York-issued CDLs, while the remaining 13 licenses came from other states.
The operation also targeted human smuggling and drug trafficking.
Between Aug. 10 and Aug. 14, Border Patrol agents disrupted two human-smuggling operations, arresting four alleged smugglers and 17 illegal immigrants who authorities said were being transported.
Agents also seized a firearm, 74 pounds of methamphetamine and 169 pounds of marijuana, according to CBP.
“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 Border Patrol Agent Dustin W. Caudle of the Yuma Sector said in the agency’s statement.
The Yuma Sector includes portions of Arizona and California as well as the entire state of Nevada.
The arrests come amid a broader federal effort to tighten oversight of commercial driver licensing and prevent foreign nationals who do not meet federal qualifications from operating large trucks on U.S. roads.
CBP pointed to a final rule issued by the Department of Transportation that prevents foreign drivers who lack required qualifications from obtaining commercial licenses.
Border Patrol said it is “working with federal partners to enforce the rule of law and restore integrity and safety to the nation’s transportation system,” adding that the initiative will “help remove another incentive for illegal immigration” while strengthening border security.
The truck-driver arrests coincided with a separate federal enforcement action targeting commercial driving schools.
Multiple agencies, including the Department of Transportation and Department of Homeland Security, announced Monday that 270 commercial licensing schools had been shut down as part of a wider anti-fraud campaign.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said more than 5,000 drivers who failed English-proficiency examinations were connected to some of the schools involved.
The Trump administration has intensified scrutiny of commercial driver licensing since President Donald Trump returned to office in early 2025, particularly following several high-profile fatal crashes involving foreign-national truck drivers.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration views the issuance of commercial licenses to illegal immigrants as a growing public-safety problem.
“There is a growing and alarming trend of illegal aliens being granted commercial driver’s licenses. Many of them don’t speak English or understand the rules of the road, and yet they’re driving among us, endangering our loved ones,” Mullin said in an Aug. 31 statement.
California has become a central focus of the administration’s criticism because of the number of commercial licenses issued there.
Federal officials have previously accused the California Department of Motor Vehicles of granting CDLs to drivers who were not properly qualified.
Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office has rejected that characterization and argued that California’s commercial drivers have a stronger safety record than the national average.
“The facts are plain and simple—California commercial driver’s license holders had a fatal crash rate nearly 40 percent LOWER than the national average,” Newsom’s office wrote on X in October 2025.
The latest Border Patrol operation adds another enforcement front to the administration’s campaign against improperly issued commercial licenses, combining immigration enforcement with transportation-safety initiatives aimed at licensing standards, driver qualifications and fraud.
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