(NewsNation) — DHS Secretary Kristi Noem recently announced that the agency arrested nearly 150 truck drivers it says were living in the U.S. illegally.
The bulk of the arrests took place in northwest Indiana as the state and federal immigration officers worked together during an immigration operation that saw a total of 223 illegal immigrants, with 146 being truck drivers.
In addition to the arrests, there was a fatal crash that occurred in the state involving a car-haul driver and a military vehicle on Nov. 14. According to NewsNation affiliate WXIN, the crash killed Lafayette, Indiana resident and National Guardsman Terry Frye. The crash is currently under investigation.
The driver of the car hauler, Goderdzi Gujabidze, was later detained by ICE and remains in custody. Officials told NewsNation that Gujabidze is fully cooperating with the investigation. His country of origin has not been revealed.
“Indiana National Guardsman Terry Frye should still be alive,” Republican Indiana Sen. Jim Banks wrote in part on social media on Monday. “I fully support President Trump’s mission to deport everyone here illegally so we can prevent tragedies like this from ever happening again.”
The arrests come as more lawmakers push for more restrictions and requirements for commercial driver’s licenses for immigrants across the U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced a nationwide audit for foreign commercial truck drivers, which now requires states to check an immigration database to see if the drivers can legally apply for a CDL.
Duffy cited an August crash in Florida for the restrictions. Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old from India, is accused of causing a crash on the Florida Turnpike that killed three people. One truck driver told NewsNation it’s dangerous on the roads now and that he welcomes regulations.
“It clearly states in the laws that you must be able to read and understand English, but we have these drivers out here who can’t,” one driver said. “And they’re causing catastrophes.”
Another truck driver told NewsNation there shouldn’t be as big a focus on foreign drivers, as there are some American drivers that he said are illiterate and also can’t understand and cannot drive. Others have pointed to outdated laws and systems that create issues like these, and say it’s time for reform in the trucking industry.