By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
HAMILTON TOWNSHIP, Ohio — Authorities in southwest Ohio made 36 arrests during a five-day crackdown on commercial trucking violations in October, including 31 involving immigration-related offenses, as residents called on local and state officials to address alleged transportation fraud, public safety problems and growing demands on community services.
The enforcement operation, conducted Oct. 19-23 by multiple law enforcement agencies, produced 561 traffic stops, 258 commercial vehicle inspections and 423 citations. Authorities also placed 73 vehicles and 49 drivers out of service, according to figures presented by Hamilton Township Police Chief Quillan Short during a Nov. 4 township meeting.
The findings were detailed in a Nov. 15 Fox News Digital investigation, which examined concerns among residents of Hamilton Township, Maineville, Middletown and surrounding communities following an increase in trucking businesses associated with the area’s Uzbek immigrant population.
Hamilton Township Trustee Darryl Cordrey described the enforcement results as “staggering,” citing the number of violations identified during the five-day operation.
“Hamilton Township residents have every right to be concerned about unsafe commercial vehicles, unqualified drivers on our roads, and other criminal issues that have stemmed from the substantial increase in commercial trucking operations in Hamilton Township,” Cordrey said. “Our residents should not have to bear the consequences of failures in immigration policy and commercial trucking oversight.”
Cordrey attributed some of the problems to federal immigration policies under former President Joe Biden and said township officials were working with state and federal agencies to address residents’ complaints.
The meeting drew dozens of residents who expressed concerns about commercial vehicle safety, crowded schools, neighborhood disturbances and a mosque under construction in Maineville.
One resident described difficulties accommodating students who require additional language assistance.
“We are drowning,” the resident said while discussing pressures on local schools. “We are drowning here, our kids our suffering.”
Other residents raised allegations involving trucking companies, neighborhood parking problems and incidents they attributed to individuals within the local Uzbek community. Those individual accounts have not all been independently verified.
One woman, identified by Fox News under the pseudonym Jane because of concerns about retaliation, said she left a newly purchased home after approximately 18 months because of repeated disturbances.
“I have literally been screaming about what has been going on for years, and I’m like somebody needs to take notice of this,” she told the outlet.
Jane alleged that children in her neighborhood interfered with vehicles, entered construction areas, took her child’s bicycle and threatened her dog. She also described disputes involving truck parking and said she had contacted police approximately 20 times.
She said the incidents and her dissatisfaction with the response from authorities contributed to her decision to relocate.
In Middletown, Fox News visited a former restaurant building registered as the headquarters of UAG Express, a trucking company associated with multiple federal transportation violations.
Federal records reviewed by the outlet listed more than two dozen violations involving vehicle maintenance, unsafe driving, commercial driver’s license restrictions and hours-of-service requirements.
The property appeared abandoned during the October visit, with broken windows and commercial trucks parked behind the building.
Fox News contacted UAG Express and its owner, Aziz Ishanov, for comment but reported receiving no response.
The investigation follows an earlier report examining trucking company registrations and alleged carrier fraud in southwest Ohio.
That reporting examined allegations involving so-called chameleon carriers, trucking businesses accused of using multiple corporate registrations or operating authorities to avoid regulatory oversight, conceal safety histories or continue operations after enforcement actions.
Transportation industry sources told Fox News that some companies allegedly shared drivers, vehicles and other operational resources while maintaining separate corporate identities.
The allegations have increased attention on federal commercial vehicle registration, licensing and inspection requirements.
Ohio Republican state Rep. Michelle Teska attended the Nov. 4 township meeting and discussed legislation intended to strengthen commercial driver’s license requirements.
Her proposal includes requiring commercial driver examinations to be administered in English.
Teska said Ohio currently allows driver’s license testing in 10 languages and argued that commercial drivers must demonstrate sufficient English proficiency to understand road signs, communicate with law enforcement and comply with transportation regulations.
“This is a safety issue,” Teska said. “This is not a partisan issue in any way, shape, or form, but this is a safety issue.”
She cited a rape conviction, a federal human smuggling indictment and a fatal truck crash involving a driver who required a translator to communicate with investigating officers.
The crash was examined in Fox News Digital’s earlier reporting on commercial trucking operations and alleged regulatory violations in the region.
Federal officials have also intensified enforcement of commercial transportation regulations.
According to figures cited in the investigation, the Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration have placed approximately 34,000 drivers out of service for failing English-language proficiency requirements.
Federal authorities have also revoked or canceled more than 31,000 commercial driver’s licenses identified as improperly issued and removed or initiated action against nearly 10,000 noncompliant driving schools.
Those nationwide enforcement figures concern broader regulatory investigations and do not establish that all affected drivers or businesses were connected to southwest Ohio or the Uzbek community.
Warren County Prosecutor David Fornshell previously told Fox News that his office was encountering frequent criminal cases involving individuals from the local Uzbek population.
“I would say hardly a week goes by where we don’t have some felony case involving an Uzbek, it’s pretty frequent at this point,” Fornshell said.
The prosecutor’s comments did not establish a community-wide crime rate or indicate how many cases resulted in convictions.
Meanwhile, representatives of the Uzbek community have acknowledged residents’ concerns and expressed a willingness to participate in discussions.
The Hamkor Uzbek Cincinnati Association, in a message published Friday through the Islamic Center of Maineville’s Telegram channel, called for cooperation and communication between community members and their neighbors.
“On behalf of the Hamkor Uzbek Cincinnati Association, we recognize that some local residents have concerns and questions about our community. We believe that mutual respect, open communication, and understanding are the best ways to address these issues,” the organization stated.
“Our Uzbek community is willing to listen to local residents, understand their concerns, clear up any misunderstandings, and work together to find practical solutions.”
The association said it wanted to establish trust and improve relationships between Uzbek residents and the broader community.
The mosque project has also attracted scrutiny from some residents who have questioned its funding and the businesses associated with donations.
A separate Fox News investigation into the proposed Islamic center examined those concerns and the relationship between local trucking businesses and the religious organization.
The Islamic center has maintained that charitable donations from businesses do not, by themselves, establish ownership, employment or other commercial relationships with the organization’s leadership.
Local officials continue examining transportation violations and residents’ complaints while state lawmakers consider additional licensing restrictions.
The October enforcement operation documented substantial commercial vehicle violations and immigration-related arrests, but authorities have not publicly established that the violations were representative of all trucking companies or immigrant drivers in the region.
Hamilton Township officials say they intend to continue coordinating with state and federal agencies on commercial vehicle enforcement as residents seek additional action on roadway safety and neighborhood concerns.
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