California enforcement efforts result in 49 truckers arrested
With enforcement efforts ramping up to remove illegal drivers from U.S. roadways, officials in California have reportedly arrested 49 “illegal aliens” operating with commercial driver’s licenses over the past month.
On Friday, Dec. 19, U.S. Customs and Border Protection announced that El Centro Sector agents have made 49 arrests of individuals with CDLs during traffic stops and at various immigration checkpoints between Nov. 23 and Dec. 12.
According to the report, 30 of the individuals arrested were from India, with two of the drivers being from El Salvador. Other countries of origin included China, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Russia, Somalia, Turkey and Ukraine.
Officials said that seven of the arrests occurred during a two-day coordinated effort, tabbed “Operation Highway Sentinel.” Conducted on Dec. 11 and Dec. 12 in Ontario and Fontana, Calif., the operation “specifically targeted commercial trucking companies in the state. The operation netted 45 arrests.
“The success of this operation highlights the ongoing dangers posed by the unmitigated border crisis we experienced prior to 2025,” El Centro Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Remenar said in a statement. “The individuals arrested should never have been operating these semi-trucks, and the states issuing them commercial driver’s licenses are directly responsible for the fatal accidents we have tragically witnessed recently.”
According to officials, 31 of the individuals arrested had obtained their CDLs in California, while other drivers held licenses from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Washington.
“Since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2026, El Centro Sector’s arrests of individuals in the interior have surpassed those at the border, directly illustrating what can be accomplished when a secure border is achieved,” Remenar said. LL