U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working in coordination with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP), conducted a targeted three-day enforcement operation that led to the arrest of 120 illegal aliens along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma.
The operation, held from September 22 to 25, was part of ICE’s successful 287(g) program, which empowers local law enforcement agencies to help identify and detain individuals violating U.S. immigration laws.
During enhanced traffic enforcement, OHP troopers made approximately 520 traffic stops. ICE officers then conducted records checks on foreign-born nationals encountered during those stops.
Breakdown of Arrests:
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91 individuals were operating commercial motor vehicles with Commercial Driver’s Licenses (CDLs). The drivers originated from countries including India (39), China (12), Uzbekistan (13), and others such as Russia, Georgia, and Türkiye. Many had overstayed visas, had pending asylum claims, or had entered the country illegally.
Most of these CDLs were issued by blue states: California (44), New York (14), Pennsylvania (12), and Illinois (11), with others from New Jersey and Florida. -
27 individuals were arrested from passenger vehicles. The majority were from Mexico (15) and Guatemala (10), with others from China and Cuba. Seventeen had entered illegally with no prior record, nine had been previously deported (six multiple times), and one had been denied a visa before sneaking in. Twenty-three of these individuals entered the U.S. between 2020 and 2024.
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Two individuals were arrested at a nearby marijuana grow operation.
Several of those taken into custody had serious criminal backgrounds, including multiple DUIs, money laundering, human smuggling, unlawful reentry, assault, and drug trafficking offenses.
Officials emphasized the public safety dangers of illegal aliens operating heavy commercial vehicles on U.S. highways.
ICE Deputy Director Madison Sheahan praised the results, saying,
“ICE’s 287(g) program clearly demonstrates how federal and local law enforcement agencies can work together to make America safe again. Illegal aliens have no business operating 18-wheelers on America’s highways. Our roads are now safer with these individuals off the streets. We encourage more state and local agencies to join the program and take advantage of the reimbursement funds available to our partners.”
Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy also announced new federal measures to crack down on the issuance of CDLs to non-citizens without proper immigration status. The new rules will require employment-based visas and verification through the federal SAVE system before such licenses can be granted or renewed.
“What our team has discovered should disturb and anger every American,” Duffy said. “Licenses to operate an 80,000-pound truck are being issued to dangerous foreign drivers—often illegally. This is a direct threat to every family on the road. We are putting a stop to it now.”
Officials noted that this initiative is part of President Trump’s broader effort to restore law and order to America’s immigration system and reverse the chaos that began during the Biden-era border crisis.