More than 100 commercial drivers were arrested recently by the Oklahoma Corporation Commission, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in a joint operation at the Beckham County Port of Entry at Erick.
A special enforcement emphasis and focus on, specifically, CDL drivers and commercial trucks licensed and registered in California was conducted by OCC motor carrier enforcement officers assisting ICE agents and OHP troopers assigned to Department of Public Safety Troop S.
The law enforcement officers arrested 130 undocumented immigrants, the OCC reported. The illegal immigrants constituted one-fourth of the 520 drivers who were screened during the three-day operation, according to Public Safety Commissioner Tim Tipton. Most interactions took place during routine passes through the weigh station, but some were the result of traffic infractions, Tipton told KOSU radio.
The arrests were part of a broader deportation plan, dubbed Operation Guardian, that Gov. Kevin Stitt announced earlier this year. Tipton said every OHP trooper has been authorized by ICE to interrogate, arrest and detain illegal immigrants.
Governor Stitt’s office issued a press release stating that the illegal commercial truck drivers carried driver licenses issued by sanctuary states from multiple countries, including India, Uzbekistan, China, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Mauritania. “These individuals posed a public safety risk by operating 80,000-pound commercial vehicles without proper verification,” the governor said.
OHP provided a photo of one New York license that listed the driver as “No Name Given.”
Stitt said such licenses won’t pass the test in Oklahoma, and neither will drivers holding them. “If New York wants to hand out CDLs to illegal immigrants with ‘No Name Given’, that’s on them,” he said. “The moment they cross into Oklahoma, they answer to our laws.”
The OCC “recognizes the danger to the driving public from big rig drivers who may be non-compliant with weight requirements and other regulations or statutes designed to reduce risk from improperly large commercial vehicles and inappropriately credentialed drivers,” the agency announced.
As the trucking industry regulatory experts for Oklahoma, the OCC embraces the importance of partnering with fellow law enforcement agencies to keep Oklahoma residents, the state and nation safe.
“Oklahomans deserve safe highways,” said Corporation Commission Chair Kim David. “We appreciate the opportunity to assist ICE and the DPS by removing non-compliant and dangerous drivers from our roads. By working together as law enforcement partners, we’re reducing risks for every driver.”
In Fiscal Year 2025, more than 5.6 million trucks (Class 5 or higher) entered Oklahoma on a highway intersecting one of its ports of entry. In far western Oklahoma, almost 1.4 million trucks crossed the state border between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, at the Beckham County POE on eastbound I-40, which made it an obvious site for the threeday special enforcement emphasis.
“Our ports of entry may very well be the first stop commercial truck drivers make after crossing the state line,” Commissioner Todd Hiett said. “Our officers' professionalism, training and use of technology quickly assess each driver and rig to resolve permitting concerns, issue a ticket with an associated fine, or require the driver to pull over and submit to further inspection of their credentials or truck.”
The officers manning OCC’s five POEs are law enforcement professionals who “staunchly enforce” permitting, weight, licensing, insurance and other requirements that regulate the trucking industry, agency officials said. The use of cameras and software technology enables POE personnel to determine in seconds whether a trucker will be required to pull into the POE or remain mobile.
“There are legitimate concerns with illegal immigrants obtaining CDLs in other jurisdictions,” said Commissioner Brian Bingman. “The inability to read road signs written in English will lead to accidents. This negligence creates risk for motorists in Oklahoma.”
OCC’s Transportation Division has been recognized nationally for its enforcement effort of International Fuel Tax Association requirements and International Registration Plan agreements for appropriate mileage reporting, collection and disbursement of fuel tax revenue and apportionable registration fees to other states in compliance with those agreements.
Since OCC took over administration of the programs in 2004, Transportation Division audit staff have consistently received clean audit reports recognizing their commitment to accountability and the accuracy of their work.
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Sept. 29 issued an interim final rule amending regulations for state driver's licensing agencies issuing commercial driving credentials to foreign-domiciled individuals.
FMCSA states in its notice: “Through this interim final rule, FMSCA restores the integrity of the commercial driver's license issuance processes by significantly limiting the authority for state driver’s licensing agencies to issue and renew non-domiciled commercial learner permits and CDLs to individuals domiciled in a foreign jurisdiction. This change strengthens the security of the CDL issuance process and enhances the safety of commercial motor vehicle operations.”