Category: Cdls
Exclusive: GOP lawmaker seeks crackdown on illegal trucker licenses to end ‘preventable’ deaths
Republican Rep. Andy Biggs of Arizona is proposing new legislation to crack down on illegal aliens obtaining commercial driver’s licenses.
Americans have witnessed many preventable deaths inflicted by illegal alien truck drivers who often obtained CDLs in blue states that seemingly ignore citizenship or work requirements. The tragic death toll was exacerbated by former President Joe Biden’s administration, which allowed millions of illegal aliens to flood the country within a span of just four years.
‘They gamble with American lives.’
Biggs believes the VERIFY CDL Act will help prevent similar tragedies in the future.
“American citizens should not have to worry that Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’ border failures are showing up on our highways,” Biggs told Blaze News. “When millions of unvetted, unknown illegal aliens were allowed into the country — which is exactly what the Biden regime turned a blind eye to — the federal government created serious public safety risks far beyond the border.”
“Until every illegal alien is deported by President Trump’s hard work, Congress has a responsibility to close dangerous loopholes. My VERIFY CDL Act ensures commercial driver’s licenses are issued only to individuals legally authorized to work in the United States.”
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Biggs’ legislation would look to change that. According to the bill text obtained exclusively by Blaze News, the VERIFY CDL Act would require applicants’ employment to be authorized through the E-Verify program before they can be issued a CDL, adding additional safeguards and closing a highly abused loophole.
“Operating a commercial vehicle is not a right — it is a serious responsibility,” Biggs told Blaze News. “When states issue CDLs without verifying work authorization, they gamble with American lives. My bill puts an end to that recklessness.”
“If you are legally authorized to work in the United States, E-Verify confirms it,” Biggs said. “If you are not, you do not get behind the wheel of a 40-ton vehicle.”
RELATED: Illegal alien truckers with California licenses accused of hauling $7M in cocaine across state lines
Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images
Biggs noted that mass immigration is not limited to the border, but rather it needs to be addressed at every level, including CDLs.
“It’s not complicated,” Biggs said. “We have seen what happens when verification fails — preventable deaths, broken families, and a system that has lost its integrity.”
“One preventable death is one too many,” Biggs added. “Congress has a duty to act, and this bill does exactly that.”
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Illegal alien truck driver walks out of jail after allegedly killing American — and sanctuary policies appear to be to blame
An illegal alien truck driver, accused of causing a fatal crash, was reportedly released from custody after authorities failed to follow up with a case for prosecution.
‘How many more Americans have to be killed before Democrat politicians start to put the public’s safety ahead of politics?’
Kamalpreet Singh, an Indian national who illegally entered the U.S. in 2023, is accused of causing a deadly multi-vehicle wreck on a Washington freeway on December 11.
The Department of Homeland Security stated that the Biden administration released Singh into the country despite his illegal entry. He obtained his commercial driver’s license in California, according to Fox News.
Singh allegedly rear-ended a Mazda driven by Robert Pearson, a 29-year-old American. The Mazda was pushed into a Peterbilt truck, causing the car to catch fire, Fox News reported.
Pearson died at the scene. Singh and the driver of the Peterbilt were not injured.
The semitruck driver reportedly spent just one day in King County jail before being released after posting $100,000 bond. The news outlet claimed that the bond money was returned to Singh after the arresting authority, the Washington State Patrol, failed to pursue a case for prosecution.
A WSP spokesperson told Blaze News, “In the course of our investigations, we have found [an] additional detail and needed to withdraw the original complaint so we can refile in the near future with that additional detail included. The case remains under active investigation.”
RELATED: Border Patrol nabs 49 illegal aliens with commercial driver’s licenses
Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
While Immigration and Customs Enforcement issued a detainer against Singh, it was not honored due to the state’s sanctuary policies.
“These demented and dangerous sanctuary policies have deadly consequences,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “Robert Pearson would still be alive today if the Biden administration hadn’t released this illegal alien into our country. How many more Americans have to be killed before Democrat politicians start to put the public’s safety ahead of politics?”
The DHS noted several recent crashes allegedly caused by illegal aliens.
Photo by: Peter Titmuss/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The department stated that Washington also ignored ICE’s detainer against truck driver Juan Hernandez-Santos, despite the criminal illegal alien being accused of causing a multi-vehicle pileup on December 4.
Rajinder Kumar, an illegal alien from India, was charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment after allegedly causing a crash in Oregon that resulted in the deaths of two people.
DHS also highlighted a detainer against Harjinder Singh, an illegal alien from India who was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide, and Partap Singh, who allegedly caused a crash in California that left a 5-year-old with critical and life-altering injuries.
Kamalpreet Singh, Harjinder Singh, and Partap Singh are not believed to be related to one another.
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Oklahoma ICE sting busts 34 illegal alien truck drivers, others with rap sheets
An immigration enforcement operation in Oklahoma resulted in dozens of arrests, including 34 illegal alien truck drivers, according to ICE.
‘To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English.’
The arrests announced earlier this week come amid concerns about road safety and national security related to an influx of foreign drivers entering the American trucking industry following the Biden administration’s open-border policies. These concerns have intensified following several recent fatal crashes involving illegal alien truck drivers.
Operation Guardian, a two-day sweep along the I-40 eastern corridor in late October, led to the arrests of 70 illegal aliens. Among those detained were 26 individuals with CDLs and eight others who were operating commercial vehicles without valid licenses, ICE stated.
The operation involved ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as part of a 287(g) partnership. The agreement allows OHP troopers to enforce immigration violations.
“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,” stated Marcos Charles, the executive associate director of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.
Many of those arrested who were operating commercial vehicles were not in compliance with English proficiency requirements, according to Charles.
Photo by John Moore/Getty Images
Of the 70 illegal aliens nabbed by immigration officials, 36 reportedly had a prior criminal history with offenses that included assault and battery, soliciting prostitution, and DUI. Two illegal aliens were wanted overseas for fraud and burglary.
Those arrested originated from 15 different countries, including China, Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.
A similar September raid in Oklahoma resulted in the arrests of 120 illegal aliens, including 91 who were operating commercial vehicles.
Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Oklahoma’s Department of Public Safety stated that the CDLs were issued to the illegal aliens by the following states: California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York.
“Operation Guardian continues to successfully keep Oklahomans safe,” Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said. “To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English. These are commonsense standards that we will continue to enforce.”
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