30 Indian nationals among undocumented truck drivers arrested in US enforcement crackdown

US Border Patrol agents have detained 30 Indian nationals who were living illegally in the United States and operating semitrucks using commercial driver’s licenses, according to reports.

In a statement released last week, US Customs and Border Protection said agents in California’s El Centro Sector arrested 49 undocumented immigrants holding commercial driver’s licenses during vehicle inspections at immigration checkpoints and coordinated enforcement operations.

Between November 23 and December 12, officials intercepted 42 undocumented individuals driving semitrucks while travelling on interstates or passing through immigration checkpoints. Among them, 30 were Indian nationals, while others came from El Salvador, China, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

Authorities said 31 of the commercial licenses were issued in California, while the remaining licenses originated from states including Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Separately, on December 10 and 11, agents from the Indio Station took part in Operation Highway Sentinel, a large-scale, two-day enforcement drive led by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations in Ontario and Fontana, California.

That operation resulted in 45 additional arrests of undocumented individuals holding commercial driver’s licenses. On the first day, agents apprehended one Indian national and one Tajik national, while the second day saw the arrest of four Indian nationals and one Uzbek national.