Dozens of Drivers Arrested in CDL Crackdown Targeting California Trucking Companies

U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced that authorities arrested dozens of commercial drivers for immigration violations during recent enforcement operations across California.

Operation Highway Sentinel results

CBP said Border Patrol agents and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations carried out Operation Highway Sentinel on December 10 and 11, 2025, in Ontario and Fontana. The operation aimed to enforce immigration laws, protect public safety on highways, and uphold regulations within the commercial transportation industry.

Officials said the operation specifically targeted California-based trucking companies and led to the arrest of 45 commercial driver’s license (CDL) holders for immigration violations.

CBP stated the enforcement action followed concerns that several fatal crashes involved individuals who were in the country illegally, held CDLs, and were operating semi-trucks at the time of the accidents.

Additional arrests by Indio Station agents

CBP also reported that Border Patrol agents from the Indio Station arrested 42 CDL holders for immigration violations between November 23 and December 12, 2025. Agents made the arrests while the drivers traveled on interstates or passed through immigration checkpoints along Highways 86 and 111.

According to CBP, 31 of the licenses were issued by California, while the remaining licenses came from Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

“El Centro Sector personnel are stalwart defenders of our nation’s security, whether that occurs at the border or in the interior of the United States,” said El Centro Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Remenar. He added that since the start of Fiscal Year 2026, arrests made in the interior have exceeded those at the border, which he said demonstrates the impact of stronger border security.

Remenar also criticized the issuance of CDLs to individuals who should not have been operating commercial vehicles, stating that those decisions contributed to recent fatal crashes.

“Together, with our allied partners in Homeland Security Investigations and other agencies, El Centro Sector will continue to ensure that the safety of the American public remains our top priority,” Remenar said.

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