DHS Reports 230+ Arrests in 15-State CDL Crackdown
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin announced results of Operation Guardian at a press conference in Tulsa, Oklahoma, held at Melton Truck Lines headquarters. The operation, run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement with state and local partners from October 26 to October 28, targeted illegal aliens holding unauthorized CDLs and other public safety threats in the trucking industry across 15 states.
DHS said the three-day sweep led to more than 230 arrests, including more than 40 CDL holders. Mullin was joined by Melton Truck Lines executives, ICE Assistant Director Russell Hott, and state police officials from Oklahoma and Texas.
The release detailed two Oklahoma Highway Patrol stops during the operation. On October 26, a trooper stopped a vehicle on I-35 for a driver using a cell phone; a records check showed the vehicle was reported stolen in Texas. The driver, identified as an illegal alien from Honduras, allegedly broke the trooper's arm while resisting arrest before being caught. ICE Homeland Security Investigations in Tulsa has filed charges against him. On October 27, a stop on I-40 found all seven occupants of a vehicle, including an unaccompanied child, were illegal aliens; the driver was turned over to ICE custody that day.
DHS did not release a state-by-state breakdown or identify the other 13 states involved.
What's next
- Watch for DHS or ICE to disclose state-level arrest totals or follow-up operations.
- Carriers should expect continued roadside CDL and immigration-status checks tied to this enforcement campaign.
All sources
- Secretary Mullin Announces Results of Operation Guardian Crackdown on Illegal Aliens with Commercial Driver’s Licenses — Government site: Homeland Security (.gov), 2026-11-02
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