Federal Immigration Enforcement Expands to Truck Weigh Stations Amid Broader CDL Crackdown

Federal immigration agents are partnering with state troopers at commercial vehicle weigh stations nationwide to identify and remove unqualified or unauthorized commercial drivers, according to statements from Border Czar Tom Homan and reporting from FreightWaves. The effort builds on earlier actions, including the revocation of over 28,000 non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) across multiple states.

Homan, appearing on Fox News, described DHS coordination with the Department of Transportation and state agencies to target drivers operating on improperly issued licenses. In some states, agents are embedded directly at weigh stations during routine inspections. Enforcement also targets drivers who continue operating after license revocation.

This aligns with prior state-level operations in Texas, Arizona, and California focused on licensing, equipment, and hours-of-service violations, which have yielded immigration arrests and out-of-service orders. Arizona authorities recently documented a hotshot truck stop with multiple violations, including no valid CDL, missing medical certificate, and non-functional trailer brakes.

The initiative occurs against a backdrop of 2025-2026 federal policy shifts, including FMCSA rules tightening non-domiciled CDL issuance and English proficiency requirements, alongside state revocations in California exceeding 17,000 licenses. Critics, including those cited in USA Today coverage, have raised concerns about potential trucking capacity reductions leading to higher freight costs and supply chain pressures within months.

Broader enforcement draws from documented safety data on unqualified drivers and aligns with Trump administration priorities on immigration and transportation security, as reported by the Washington Examiner and CDLLife.