U.S. Border Patrol in the Yuma Sector says agents apprehended 52 undocumented individuals during an enforcement effort called “Operation Checkmate,” including 36 people who were driving semi-trucks.
Border Patrol says all 52 people will be processed under federal law and deported.
According to Border Patrol, 29 of the semi-truck drivers seized during the operation held commercial driver’s licenses issued in states such as California, New York, Washington, and Virginia. According to Border Patrol, three of the drivers lacked a valid driver’s license.
Border Patrol agents also informed Gray Media that they routinely arrest commercial unlicensed drivers in Arizona, particularly on freeways and roadways entering Maricopa County.
“We were enforcing immigration law, which is what we do in specific areas in and out of Arizona,” a Border Patrol spokesperson said.
According to CBP, several of the jailed drivers had employment authorization documents received under the Biden administration, which are no longer legal.
The arrests come as Arizona Sen. Frank Carroll supports a bill that would prohibit persons in the country illegally from operating commercial cars in Arizona.
“That is in the House right now; we wait for it to complete its process—we aren’t done with our sessions, there is still time,” Carroll replied.
Carroll’s proposal would allow law enforcement to require proof of lawful presence during a stop and to impound a truck if a driver cannot demonstrate legal status. Carroll says his concerns include road safety, liability, and language barriers, and he believes the bill could help prevent deadly crashes.
Gray Media also contacted the president and CEO of the Arizona Trucking Association for comment. According to the association, “The safety of Arizona’s highways depends on every commercial driver being fully qualified, properly licensed, and able to communicate in English with law enforcement and the traveling public.”
Carroll’s bill is moving forward as President Donald Trump’s administration continues to tighten down on immigrant truck drivers. Carroll says that the effort has led to 200,000 immigrants losing their CDLs earlier this year.
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