About 30 Indians, who were arrested for living and working illegally as commercial truck drivers in the United States, will soon be deported, according to the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
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CBP said in a statement on Monday that Border Patrol agents from Yuma Sector in Arizona arrested 52 individuals as part of ‘Operation Checkmate’ for living in the US illegally, including 36 individuals who were allegedly working as truck drivers.
What Is Operation Checkmate?
The CBP described Operation Checkmate as a move to enhance public safety through enforcement of immigration statutes aimed at the detection and arrest of illegal aliens operating commercial motor vehicles. US Border Patrol agents arrested 52 individuals as part of this operation, of whom 36 were found to be illegal truck drivers.
Out of the 36 illegal drivers, 30 were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia. They had commercial driver’s licenses from states such as California, New York, Washington and Virginia, while some did not possess any form of driver’s licence.
Furthermore, it was reported that most of them possessed employment authorisation documents, which were obtained during the Joe Biden administration and were no longer valid. All individuals were processed in accordance with federal law and will be deported.
“Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the US Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector Dustin W Caudle.
This came after the US Department of Transportation issued a final rule to stop unqualified foreign drivers from obtaining licenses to drive commercial trucks and buses.
Incidents Linked To Truck Drivers
Over the past several months, there have been instances of Indian-origin truck drivers arrested and charged with causing fatal crashes while driving commercial vehicles in the US.
Last year, Indian-origin truck driver Jashanpreet Singh crashed his semi-truck and killed three people in California. The 21-year-old driver was arrested on October 21 under suspicion of ‘driving under the influence’ (DUI) and was charged with vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence as well as DUI causing injury in the multi-vehicle crash.
The Department of Homeland Security said Jashanpreet had entered the US illegally through the Mexico border back in 2022. He was driving a Freightliner tractor-trailer when he crashed it into an SUV and several other vehicles back in October 2025.
On August 12, Harjinder Singh, 28, allegedly made an illegal U-turn in his tractor-trailer in Florida, causing a deadly crash which killed three people. Following the incident, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had announced a pause to all issuances of commercial truck driver work visas.
