30 Indians Arrested In U.S. Trucking Crackdown

India-West News Desk

YUMA, ARIZONA– Thirty Indian nationals were among 52 people arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents during “Operation Checkmate,” a federal enforcement effort targeting undocumented commercial vehicle operators in Arizona’s Yuma Sector.

The operation was conducted between May 11 and May 15. U.S. Customs and Border Protection reported that 36 of those arrested were operating commercial semi-trucks. The remaining detainees were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia.

All 52 individuals were processed under federal law and are expected to be removed from the United States, CBP said. The agency did not release the identities of those arrested.

Officials said some of those detained held commercial driver’s licenses issued by states including California, New York, Washington, and Virginia. Three individuals did not possess a driver’s license. Authorities also said several detainees possessed employment authorization documents that were no longer valid.

CBP said Operation Checkmate was launched to enforce immigration laws and identify undocumented individuals operating commercial motor vehicles.

“Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety,” Dustin W. Caudle, acting chief patrol agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector, said in a statement released by the agency.

Caudle added that agents patrol daily to identify such drivers and prevent potentially deadly crashes on roads across the United States.

The operation comes amid the Trump administration’s broader crackdown on illegal immigration. Earlier, the U.S. Department of Transportation issued an order aimed at preventing unqualified foreign nationals from obtaining licenses to operate commercial trucks and buses.

The arrests follow several crashes involving Indian truck drivers cited by federal authorities. In October 2025, 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh was charged in connection with a California crash that killed three people. The Department of Homeland Security said he entered the United States illegally in 2022. In August 2025, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh was accused in a Florida crash that also resulted in three deaths.