Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that 31 drivers who were in the country illegally were apprehended last week along Interstate 40 during a joint commercial vehicle enforcement operation. The operation, which took place on November 11 in Wheeler County, was conducted by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) in partnership with federal agencies including Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Governor Abbott stated, “Millions of Texans drive on our highways, roads, and streets every day. When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans. This joint state and federal operation along one of the nation’s longest transcontinental highways removed illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles from Texas roads. While liberal states like California issue licenses to illegal immigrants and risk the lives of Americans, Texas will work with our federal partners to maintain safe roads and apprehend illegal immigrants to protect our communities.”
The focus of the operation was to identify individuals with suspicious commercial driver licenses during routine inspections. DPS CVE troopers inspected 105 commercial vehicles as part of this effort.
During these inspections, officers found that 31 drivers presented CDLs but could not verify their lawful presence in the United States. These individuals were referred to ICE for further verification. It was later determined that all 31 were residing in the country illegally.
Most of these CDLs had been issued by California; none originated from Texas.
