Federal immigration authorities arrested [1] 70 illegal aliens during a two-day highway enforcement operation in Oklahoma, including 34 individuals operating commercial trucks without legal authorization, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
The coordinated effort, known as “Operation Guardian,” was carried out in late October along the Interstate 40 corridor in partnership with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
It marked the second major enforcement action in the state within a month, following the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal alien truck drivers operating under fraudulent or unlawful commercial licenses.
“For the second time in just the past month, the state of Oklahoma and ICE have banded together to bolster public safety along Oklahoma’s highways, identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who are in the country illegally and have been recklessly issued a commercial driver’s license by states like California, Illinois, and New Jersey,” said ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Executive Associate Director Marcos Charles.
“Many of the illegal aliens arrested behind the wheel of an 80,000-pound tractor trailer can’t even read basic English, endangering everyone they encounter on the roads,” Charles added.
ICE said that 26 of the illegal alien truck drivers had obtained Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs) from sanctuary states such as California, Illinois, and New York. Another eight were found to be driving commercial vehicles without any CDL.
Authorities said the drivers and passengers taken into custody included foreign nationals from countries including China, Guatemala, India, and Uzbekistan.
Several of those detained had prior convictions for violent crimes and other serious offenses.
ICE credited the success of the operation to Oklahoma’s participation in the federal 287(g) program, which allows local law enforcement to collaborate directly with immigration authorities.
CRACKDOWN
Oklahoma State Police working with (ICE) impounded dozens of Tractor trailers & arrested dozens of illegals
This is what I voted for on Nov 5th pic.twitter.com/KSgCmP7pTW [2]
— @Chicago1Ray (@Chicago1Ray) November 4, 2025 [3]
The operation comes just weeks after a similar effort in late September, during which ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol arrested over 100 illegal alien truck drivers in a three-day sweep along the same highway.
That earlier operation uncovered suspects allegedly linked to crimes such as human smuggling, money laundering, conspiracy to distribute cocaine, and illegal reentry into the United States.
The recent focus on illegal alien truck drivers follows a series of deadly highway incidents involving individuals who were found to be in the country unlawfully and driving without sufficient language or safety qualifications.
In August, Harjinder Singh, an Indian national living illegally in the U.S., allegedly made an illegal U-turn on a Florida turnpike, blocking all lanes and killing three people after a collision with his tractor-trailer.
(1) UPDATE: These are the alleged semi-truck drivers who k*lled three people while making a U-turn at an “Official Use Only” turn on the Florida Turnpike
The Florida Highway Patrol is describing the wreck as a homicide investigation pic.twitter.com/QqYhuidXoD [4]
— Unlimited L’s (@unlimited_ls) August 15, 2025 [5]
In another case from early October, Jashanpreet Singh, also an Indian national unlawfully residing in the country, was accused of driving under the influence of drugs when he crashed into multiple vehicles on a California highway, killing three people.
Initial DUI charges against Jashanpreet Singh, the 21 year old illegal immigrant commercial truck driver that killed 3 people in last month’s fiery eight vehicle crash in Ontario, California have been dropped after toxicology results came back negative for drugs or alcohol.
He’s… https://t.co/ETnkOmxpOS [6] pic.twitter.com/GefBUAPFJL [7]
— Kevin Dalton (@TheKevinDalton) November 5, 2025 [8]
Investigations into both cases revealed that Harjinder did not understand basic English or American traffic signage, while Jashanpreet was able to upgrade his CDL in California just days before the crash, despite emergency Department of Transportation (DOT) rules restricting such approvals.
In response, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has issued new regulations tightening CDL requirements for non-domiciled drivers and enforcing stricter English language proficiency standards for all commercial operators.
The Department of Transportation has also withheld millions in federal funding from California for allegedly issuing CDLs to illegal aliens in violation of federal law.
ICE officials said the Oklahoma operations are part of an ongoing national initiative aimed at identifying illegal alien truck drivers and removing them from the roads to enhance highway safety.