ICE rolls out tip line to report commercial driver’s license fraud

“Too many American lives have been lost or permanently changed because illegal aliens who have no business being on our roads have been granted CDLs,” Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement Wednesday.“ICE and our federal partners, including the Department of Transportation, will be cracking down on CDL fraud so that not one more American life is lost to a reckless illegal alien behind the wheel of a semi-truck,” Mullin said. “You can help save American lives and make our roads safer by dialing ICE’s new CDL fraud tipline today.” ICE’s component, Homeland Security Investigations, will manage the hotline. The number to report fraud to the federal government is 1-866-347-2423.In the wake of at least 17 fatal roadway accidents and 30 deaths in 2025 that involved illegal immigrants operating commercial trucks, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the Trump administration has repeatedly ramped up its targeting of states that gave commercial driver’s licenses to people not authorized to reside or work in the United States.While Trump’s first term focused heavily on border security, his second term has examined how illegal immigration affects business, healthcare, education, and crime — and his administration is implementing plans to disincentivize illegal immigration by targeting programs that have attracted it.In his first 100 days in office, Trump signed an executive order that required commercial truck drivers to speak English. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy implemented a requirement in May 2025 that truck drivers meet the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration’s English language proficiency standards and can read and follow road signs, or be taken off the road.Over the past year, the Trump administration has rescinded 28,000 illegally issued licenses and is now going after 194,000 more CDL holders, according to the FMCSA’s final rule.FOREIGN TRUCK DRIVERS IN THE U.S. REMAIN A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATIONThe crackdown heated up in August 2025 following a fatal crash that received significant media attention involving three people in Florida. Police identified Harjinder Singh, a 28-year-old man from India, as the driver of an 18-wheeler truck who caused the accident after making an illegal U-turn. Singh, who had received a commercial driver’s license from California despite not being a resident, was handed state vehicular homicide charges.The number of foreign-born commercial drivers in the U.S. has doubled from 315,981 in 2000 to 720,000 in 2021, according to the National Immigration Forum, an immigrant advocacy nonprofit organization. The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates they make up 18% of all commercial drivers.