Texas hands 31 commercial vehicle drivers over to ICE following single day sting on I-40

Authorities in Texas announced that dozens of commercial vehicle drivers were referred to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) following a one-day enforcement operation in the Panhandle.

The joint commercial vehicle enforcement (CVE) operation by the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and federal law enforcement took place along I-40 in Wheeler County on November 11, 2025, according to a news release from Governor Greg Abbott.

The purpose of the operation was to improve safety on Texas roadways by “identifying individuals with suspicious commercial driver licenses (CDL) during commercial vehicle inspections.”

DPS CVE officers performed 105 commercial vehicle inspections, and were “unable to verify the lawful presence of 31 drivers despite being presented with CDLs.”

Officers referred these 31 drivers to ICE to have their presence verified, and ICE determined that all 31 were present in the U.S. illegally, according to Abbott.

“A majority of the CDLs presented to DPS CVE troopers by those 31 illegal immigrants were issued out of California. None were issued in Texas,” officials said.

“Millions of Texans drive on our highways, roads, and streets every day,” said Governor Abbott. “When illegal immigrants break the law and illegally drive on our roads, they endanger the lives of countless Texans and Americans. This joint state and federal operation along one of the nation’s longest transcontinental highways removed illegal drivers and unsafe vehicles from Texas roads. While liberal states like California issue licenses to illegal immigrants and risk the lives of Americans, Texas will work with our federal partners to maintain safe roads and apprehend illegal immigrants to protect our communities.”

In recent weeks, law enforcement agencies in Oklahoma have also focused on I-40 for immigration enforcement operations focusing on commercial vehicle drivers.