Department of Homeland Security database approved terrorist suspect before he obtained a CDL, Penn. politicians say

Pennsylvania officials are pushing back against accusations that the state is responsible for issuing a CDL to a terrorist suspect wanted in another country.

On November 17th, 31-year-old Akhror Bozorov was discovered by ICE while driving a semi truck through Kansas with a Pennsylvania CDL. It was determined that Bozorov was in the United States illegally, and is a wanted terrorist suspect in Uzbekistan, for suspected ties to terrorist groups.

Now, politicians in Pennsylvania are countering backlash by pointing a finger at the Department of Homeland Security database, which he says tagged Bozorov as eligible for a CDL, prompting Pennsylvania to issue him one.

“All non-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses… must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database,” PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt wrote in a statement.

“The SAVE database is maintained by the United States Department of Homeland Security. In the instance the letter references, PennDOT followed the established federal process for confirming that the applicant was lawfully present using the SAVE database.”

“We checked the federal database months ago, when this individual received his CDL, and he was authorized to get it by the federal database,” Pennsylvania Governor Shapiro confirmed on Wednesday, November 19th. “Ironically, we went and checked the database yesterday — he’s still qualified to get a CDL,” he continued.

Shapiro says that the DHS is “clearly not minding the shop” and has “got to get better — because every single state in the country relies on this database when making a determination as to who qualifies for a CDL. We relied on the feds before issuing this one.”

However, the DHS says that their system only granted Bozorov federal work authorization, which “does not confer any legal status in this country.”

“Just because the Biden administration granted Bozorov — a wanted terrorist — work authorization and sanctuary politician Gov. Shapiro allowed him to get a CDL in Pennsylvania, does not mean he should be on America’s roads operating an 18-wheeler and potentially transporting hazardous materials,” a DHS spokesperson said to Fox News on Thursday, November 20th.