By Naveen Athrappully

Authorities have arrested 101 illegal immigrant truck drivers from California highways under Operation Highway Sentinel, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a Dec. 23 statement.

“Throughout 2025, criminal illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles on American roads caused multiple fatal accidents in California, Florida, and Oregon that collectively cost eight innocent lives,” the agency said.

“Operation Highway Sentinel was launched in direct response to this threat.

Under Gov. Gavin Newsom, “the state of California knowingly issued thousands of CDLs [commercial driver’s licenses] to illegal aliens who had no business being on U.S. roads. Many of the truck drivers who caused these fatal crashes couldn’t even read English or understand road signs.”

In August, an illegal immigrant trucker made an unlawful U-turn in an 18-wheeler that resulted in a minivan crashing into it, killing all three occupants. According to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, the driver, who entered the United States illegally in 2018, obtained his commercial driver’s license from California.

This month, another California-licensed semi-truck driver was arrested after his vehicle smashed into a passenger car, killing a 29-year-old man.

Operation Highway Sentinel, conducted by ICE Homeland Security Investigations’ San Francisco and Los Angeles branches and other federal partners, was aimed at trucking companies in the state suspected of engaging in criminal activity, ICE said, adding that the operation has concluded successfully.

According to the agency, trucking companies are “widely known” by law enforcement to involve criminal groups engaged in cargo theft, labor and narcotics trafficking, and human smuggling.

The operation led to the arrest of illegal immigrants from Colombia, Mexico, India, Honduras, Nicaragua, Georgia, Venezuela, El Salvador, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, and Russia. They will be held in ICE custody pending immigration proceedings.

“Gavin Newsom’s sanctuary state policies are costing American lives,” ICE Deputy Director Madison D. Sheahan said.

“His government knowingly issued thousands of CDLs to illegal aliens who had no business driving at all, let alone behind the wheel of a massive semi-truck.

“These drivers get their licenses, leave California, then terrorize roads all over the country. ICE is stepping in where his state failed. Just like our operations in Oklahoma and Indiana, we are taking these dangerous illegal alien truckers off the roads and making California streets safe again.”

Federal Crackdown on Ineligible Drivers

The Trump administration has strengthened eligibility criteria for truck drivers to ensure highway safety.

In March, President Donald Trump signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the United States. In April, the president signed another order directing Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to ensure that commercial truck drivers who fail to meet English-language proficiency standards do not remain in service.

The conflict between California and the Trump administration intensified after the Department of Transportation recently decided to withhold $33 million in federal funding for the state’s commercial vehicle safety programs over English-proficiency requirements.

On Dec. 12, California filed a lawsuit against the department and Duffy over the grant termination, arguing that the state has adopted and enforces standards that require commercial drivers to read and speak English in compliance with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

“California requires, tests for, and determines that drivers have English language proficiency as a condition of obtaining a commercial driver’s license (CDL) or a commercial learner’s permit (CLP),” the lawsuit said.

“California prohibits applicants who are unable to read or speak English sufficiently to pass the required tests from obtaining these licenses. FMCSA [Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration] has accepted California Commercial Vehicle Safety Plans detailing this process for many years without comment.”

In the complaint, California called the decision to terminate the grant funding “arbitrary and capricious, an abuse of discretion,” and one that threatens the safety of all people in the state.

Earlier in a Dec. 10 post on X, Duffy announced that more than 9,500 truck drivers had been taken off the road for failing English-proficiency rules.

In September, the Transportation Department said an audit found that more than 25 percent of California’s nondomiciled commercial driver’s licenses were issued improperly. In addition, many of these licenses were issued to drivers whose lawful presence in the United States had expired months and even years earlier.

“California’s reckless disregard is frankly disgusting and an affront to the millions of Americans who expect us to keep them safe,” Duffy said at the time.

In a Dec. 23 post on X, Duffy said he would do “what is in my power” to prevent the loss of lives and ensure that the Transportation Department would not fund states jeopardizing roadway safety.

“I don’t understand the liberal mindset where these governors would allow illegal aliens to operate 18 ton trucks. It’s reckless. It puts American lives in danger,” he said.