DOTHAN:
Alabama officials say 82 people were detained during a recent joint operation with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), part of the state’s latest crackdown on immigration violations and noncompliance within the trucking industry.
Governor Kay Ivey announced the results of the effort, conducted by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Motor Carrier Safety Unit (MCSU) between October 27 and November 18.
ALEA targeted high-crash rural interstate corridors where commercial traffic is heaviest. During those Commercial Motor Vehicle (CMV) inspections, 242 people were referred to ICE for immigration checks, and 82 were detained based on their status.
Of those detained, 12 individuals had no driver license of any kind, and the rest carried out-of-state licenses.
Governor Ivey praised the operation, saying Alabama is “leading the way” in cracking down on illegal operators.
“Alabama will not look the other way while illegal immigration and illegal operators threaten the safety of our communities or undermine the integrity of our trucking industry,” Ivey said. “If you are here illegally and breaking our laws… you will be held accountable in our state.”
Alabama Trucking Association President & CEO Mark Colson echoed that sentiment, warning that noncompliant operators are exploiting loopholes and undercutting law-abiding drivers.
The operation comes as federal officials conduct a sweeping review of truck driving schools nationwide. The U.S. Transportation Department recently announced that nearly 44% of schools may not be meeting required training standards. As a result, certification for nearly 3,000 programs may be revoked if they fail to comply within 30 days, and another 4,500 schools have been warned.
At the same time, the Department of Homeland Security is auditing immigrant-owned trucking companies in California to verify driver status and commercial license qualifications.
The heightened scrutiny follows a deadly crash in Florida involving a truck driver federal officials say was not authorized to be in the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the driver made an illegal U-turn that caused a collision killing three people, prompting renewed focus on immigrant drivers and licensing oversight.
