Border Patrol agents intercepted a commercial truck at an inland checkpoint near Blythe, California, and discovered that the driver, a 25-year-old Indian national, was residing in the U.S. illegally despite holding a valid New York commercial driver’s license.
The chief patrol agent of the Yuma Sector shared on social media that agents from the Blythe Station had detained the truck driver at an immigration checkpoint after it was revealed that he was unlawfully in the country. The driver was found with a New York state-issued commercial driver’s license. He was arrested under charges related to alien inadmissibility in accordance with 8 USC 1182 and is set to undergo deportation proceedings.
This incident occurs amidst ongoing legal disputes concerning the Department of Transportation’s policies regarding illegal immigrants obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy criticized a recent court decision on Monday that rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to prevent illegal immigrants from acquiring CDLs.
“We refuse to accept this without a fight,” Duffy stated on “The Ingraham Angle.” “Our commitment is to do everything possible to safeguard the American public.”
His remarks followed a decision from a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C., last Thursday, which ruled that the Department of Transportation’s restrictions on CDLs for illegal immigrants could not be implemented.
Harjinder Singh, a commercial truck driver accused of making an illegal U-turn that killed three people on Florida’s Turnpike, appeared in court virtually Nov. 13. (St. Lucie Courthouse, Florida)
Such restrictions were announced in September, after illegal immigrant truck driver Harjinder Singh was accused of causing a crash involving a tractor-trailer that killed three people in Fort Pierce, Florida.
The judges said the federal government failed to follow proper procedure or explain how the rule would promote safety. The court also noted that Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data shows about 5% of all commercial driver’s licenses belong to immigrants, though they account for just 0.2% of fatal crashes.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy touted English proficient rules for commercial truck drivers on Tuesday. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Duffy attributed much of the blame to the Biden administration, which he said allowed millions of illegal immigrants to enter, granted them work authorizations and then let them seek CDLs.
“People are dying,” he said.
“And we thought it was appropriate to protect Americans and we should have an emergency rule, not to go through the month-long process. We did that. The court has rolled us back and said, ‘Well, we’re not quite sure this is an emergency. We want to see more data.’ And I’m like… ‘Watch any show on television, and you’ll see the risk to the American people.’”
