US Border Patrol Arrests 30 Indian Nationals Living Illegally in California
US Border Patrol Arrests 30 Indian Nationals Living Illegally in California
Border Patrol in California detains 49 illegal immigrants with CDLs during a broad crackdown, including 30 Indian nationals among those arrested.
U.S. border patrol agents in the El Centro Sector of California arrested 49 illegal immigrants who held commercial driver’s licenses during vehicle stops at immigration checkpoints and in interagency operations. Among those taken into custody, 30 were Indian nationals, with the rest hailing from China, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, and Ukraine.
Authorities say that between November 23 and December 12, agents apprehended 42 illegal individuals operating semitrucks with commercial driver’s licenses while traveling on interstates or at checkpoints. California issued 31 of the licenses involved in these cases; eight licenses were issued by Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.
In a related two-day operation called Highway Sentinel, conducted December 10–11, Indio Station participated in a broader effort led by ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations in Ontario and Fontana, California. Highway Sentinel resulted in 45 arrests of illegal individuals with commercial driver’s licenses. On the first day, Indio personnel apprehended two individuals—one Indian national and one Tajik national. On the second day, agents from the Indio Station arrested four Indian nationals and one Uzbek national.
Operation Highway Sentinel specifically targeted commercial trucking companies in California and was launched after several fatal accidents were linked to illegal individuals who had been issued commercial driver’s licenses and were operating semi trucks. The ongoing crackdown highlights a persistent effort to curb CDL misuse and strengthen safety and immigration enforcement across key corridors in the state.
