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Commercial truck drivers hauling freight through Arizona on interstate highways say the Trump administration's escalating crackdown on immigrant truck drivers is forcing them to abandon their rigs along with their loads on the side of the road.
The Border Patrol for months has been stopping truck drivers on Interstate 40 near Kingman and Interstate 10 near Yuma and taking into custody immigrant truck drivers operating with non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses. "Non-domiciled" applies to people from another country who are living in the United States.
Trump administration officials say the crackdown is aimed at taking immigrant truck drivers off the highways who pose a danger to public safety because they don't speak English well enough to read signs or communicate during safety inspections.
Federal immigration enforcement officers also are targeting immigrants who obtained non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses with work permits issued to immigrants with temporary legal ties to the United States, such as asylum-seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients.
In May 2025, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began strictly enforcing English proficiency standards by immediately removing from the roads truck drivers who fail English proficiency tests during inspections.
In September, the FMCSA also announced a new rule intended to block immigrants with work permits issued to asylum-seekers, Temporary Protected Status holders or DACA recipients from qualifying for non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses.
State motor vehicle departments issue non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses to eligible drivers who are legally present and authorized to work but do not have a permanent residence or domicile in that state.
The new rule, which took effect in March, limits non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses only to noncitizens with H-2A, H-2B and E2 visas.
Trump administration officials cite several fatal accidents involving noncitizen and immigrant truck drivers for the crackdown, including an August 2025 crash on Florida's Turnpike near Fort Pierce. Investigators say the crash that killed three people was caused after a truck driver from India made an illegal U-turn that blocked all lanes of traffic, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
"When illegal aliens are behind the wheels of semi-trucks, they are putting American lives in danger," Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Aug. 4 in announcing the results of the latest operation targeting immigrant truck drivers.
