The Trump administration just announced an interagency effort to combat fraud in the trucking industry.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin are working with the Justice Department and the White House Fraud Task Force to get non-English-speaking commercial truck drivers, who they say are putting Americans in danger, off the road.
“Thanks to the recklessness of sanctuary politicians, there is a growing and alarming trend of illegal aliens being granted commercial driver’s licenses,” Mullin said. “Many of them don’t speak English or understand the rules of the road, and yet they’re driving among us, endangering our loved ones,” he continued.
“USDOT has spent the last year-and-a-half strengthening the rules of the road and removing dangerous foreign drivers from our trucking industry,” Duffy announced. “To fully root out the scourge of fraud, hold criminals accountable, and restore safety, we need the support of federal law enforcement,” he continued.
The initiative looks to encourage cooperation across federal, state, and local government agencies to secure American highways and strengthen border security.
Illegal aliens are able to obtain commercial driver’s licenses, or CDLs, because some driving schools fail to adequately vet applicants. As part of the rollout, Duffy announced an emergency shutdown of 110 driving schools, which account for 5,000 violations of the English proficiency test. Duffy claims that many of the certified state testers are not adequately testing the drivers they license, and the Transportation Department is working with the Department of Homeland Security and the DOJ to enforce federal law and prosecute those who violate it.
Mullin announced DHS will conduct a single-day sweep targeting more than 200 CDL training schools across 23 states. “We’ve removed 800 dangerous truckers from the road, and today we are starting to go into those 1,000 leads of fraud, waste, and abuse in our trucking industry,” Mullin continued.
DHS and DOJ are investigating CDL issuers who may have bypassed requirements. In some cases, authorities allege those issuers accepted payment from cartels looking to smuggle people and goods into the United States. Companies are also being investigated for visa fraud, labor law violations, financial crimes, and drug trafficking connected to these wrongly-issued CDLs.
Earlier this month, the agency arrested 95 illegal alien truck drivers, 76 of whom had CDL licenses from California. Licenses for six others were issued in New York. During the announcement, Mullin pointed to instances where drivers had been given a license that read “no name given,” meaning the driver did not have to offer a name to receive the CDL.
The Coleman family, victims of what they describe as a broken CDL system allowing non-English-speaking drivers to operate semi-trucks, were present for the press conference. Dalilah Coleman was 5 years old girl when she was struck by a semi-truck driven by an illegal immigrant who had been issued a CDL but could not speak English. Her father, Marcus Coleman, has lobbied Capitol Hill for a crackdown on CDL licenses.
Dalilah has inspired multiple pieces of legislation across both chambers of Congress. Dalilah’s Law would codify Operation Highway Shield and reinstate citizenship and English-language proficiency as requirements to receive a CDL.
Dalilah’s Law, led by Rep. David Rouzer, R-N.C., passed out of the House Transportation Committee in March. It has received support from the American Trucking Associations and House leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain, and can be taken up for a full House vote.
“Congress must now do its part and pass Dalilah’s Law to ensure CDL mills remain closed and English language proficiency enforcement is permanently made the law of the land,” Todd Spencer, president of the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, said.
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