Federal agents arrested and detained almost 40 people -- most of them truck drivers -- earlier this month during a sting operation along the western portion of the New York State Thruway.
Dubbed "Operation Bear Cave", the enforcement effort was performed from Nov. 8 to Nov. 11 by Border Patrol agents assigned to the Buffalo Station assisted by ICE-Homeland Security Investigations and Enforcement and Removal Operations. Officers conducted immigration inspections at more than 10 locations along the Thruway.
In the process, agents discovered that 30 illegal aliens possessed valid commercial driver's licenses from the states of California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, according to a statement from the CBP.
An additional seven illegal aliens were also arrested who were not in operation of any commercial vehicles. All 37 males were arrested, processed and turned over to the custody of ICE for deportation proceedings.
The Border Patrol did not identify any of the men who were arrested or specify the crime for which they were being charged.
The operation targeted Thruway rest areas and truck stops stretching from Buffalo to Syracuse.
“As we continue to see an alarming trend of illegal aliens who are unlawfully present in the United States operating commercial vehicles, it raises significant safety concerns," Acting Buffalo Sector Chief Patrol Agent James D’Amato said in a statement. "Drivers who are not fluent or with little to no ability to speak or read English pose a serious risk on our roadways, especially when operating large vehicles that require a high level of skill and understanding of traffic laws. The ongoing major accidents nationwide involving such drivers highlight the critical need for enforcement and vigilance to protect public safety."
The arrests come as the Trump Administration continues to target immigrants for deportation, and the Department of Transportation focuses on truckers who are not proficient in English and on states issuing non-domiciled CDLs to foreign drivers.
