U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem says that a recent operation conducted with Indiana State Police led to the arrest of 223 illegal aliens.
According to Noem, nearly two-thirds of the arrests, 146 individuals, were truck drivers. The action took place on Indiana highways near the Illinois state line as part of the Chicago-based Operation Midway Blitz.
An October 30 press release from Homeland Security listed a slew of criminal activity associated with the over 200 arrests, including:
- Driving Under the Influence
- Drug Trafficking
- Theft
- Burglary
- Assault
- Child Abuse
- Domestic Battery
- Prostitution
- Fraud
Notably, over three dozen of the drivers had been issued Commercial Drivers’ Licenses, with the highest numbers coming from Illinois, California, and New York.
“Far too many innocent Americans have been killed by illegal aliens driving semi-trucks and big rigs. And yet, sanctuary states around the country have been issuing illegal aliens commercial driver’s licenses. The Trump Administration is ending the chaos,” Secretary Noem was quoted as saying in the press release. “Thanks to President Trump, Operation Midway Blitz has already removed over 140 illegal alien truck drivers in Indiana. The brave men and women of ICE and the Indiana State Police are working nonstop to get criminal illegal aliens out of our communities and off our roads.”
Indiana Governor Mike Braun said his state is “proud” of being at “the Crossroads of America.” However, he said that it also demands vigilance about individuals using Indiana’s interstates for crime, which poses a risk to residents.
“The safety of our state is our top priority, and we’ll keep working with our federal partners to keep Hoosiers — and Americans — safe,” said Braun.
The Dallas Express recently reported that Jashanpreet Singh, a 21-year-old man from India who was in the United States illegally, was accused of causing a semi-truck crash in Southern California that took the lives of three people and injured several others. A toxicology test revealed that Singh was intoxicated during the deadly crash and never applied the brakes before driving directly into a slow-moving traffic jam.