Oklahoma ICE sting busts 34 illegal alien truck drivers, others with rap sheets



An immigration enforcement operation in Oklahoma resulted in dozens of arrests, including 34 illegal alien truck drivers, according to ICE.

'To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English.'

The arrests announced earlier this week come amid concerns about road safety and national security related to an influx of foreign drivers entering the American trucking industry following the Biden administration's open-border policies. These concerns have intensified following several recent fatal crashes involving illegal alien truck drivers.

Operation Guardian, a two-day sweep along the I-40 eastern corridor in late October, led to the arrests of 70 illegal aliens. Among those detained were 26 individuals with CDLs and eight others who were operating commercial vehicles without valid licenses, ICE stated.

The operation involved ICE and the Oklahoma Highway Patrol, as part of a 287(g) partnership. The agreement allows OHP troopers to enforce immigration violations.

"For the second time in just the past month, the state of Oklahoma and ICE have banded together to bolster public safety along Oklahoma's highways, identifying and apprehending illegal aliens who are in the country illegally and have been recklessly issued a commercial driver's license by states like California, Illinois, and New Jersey," stated Marcos Charles, the executive associate director of ICE's Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Many of those arrested who were operating commercial vehicles were not in compliance with English proficiency requirements, according to Charles.

RELATED: Beloved basketball coach, wife identified as victims of fatal crash allegedly caused by illegal alien truck driver

Photo by John Moore/Getty Images

Of the 70 illegal aliens nabbed by immigration officials, 36 reportedly had a prior criminal history with offenses that included assault and battery, soliciting prostitution, and DUI. Two illegal aliens were wanted overseas for fraud and burglary.

Those arrested originated from 15 different countries, including China, Colombia, Georgia, Guatemala, India, Kyrgyzstan, Mexico, Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Venezuela.

A similar September raid in Oklahoma resulted in the arrests of 120 illegal aliens, including 91 who were operating commercial vehicles.

RELATED: Truckers push back on driver-shortage ‘myth’ that has led to flood of foreigners in long-haul industry

Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Oklahoma's Department of Public Safety stated that the CDLs were issued to the illegal aliens by the following states: California, Washington, Pennsylvania, Illinois, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, New Jersey, Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and New York.

"Operation Guardian continues to successfully keep Oklahomans safe," Gov. Kevin Stitt (R) said. "To lawfully operate a commercial motor vehicle in Oklahoma, you must be here legally and you must be able to understand English. These are commonsense standards that we will continue to enforce."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Exclusive: ICE rounds up pedophiles, rapist, other illegal offenders — ‘some of the worst crimes imaginable’



Federal immigration officials rounded up several violent criminals on Thursday, despite the ongoing government shutdown.

'Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted of some of the worst crimes imaginable, including sexual abuse of a minor.'

A Department of Homeland Security press release obtained exclusively by Blaze News highlighted five of Thursday’s “worst of the worst” arrests.

“Despite the Democrats’ longest government shutdown in American history, ICE refuses to slow down,” the press release read.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement apprehensions included illegal aliens with a prior rap sheet, including two pedophiles, a rapist, and other violent assailants.

ICE arrested Jose Rivera-Medrano, a 41-year-old from El Salvador who was previously sentenced to 20 years in prison when he was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor in Rockville, Maryland. He pleaded guilty in October 2019, according to court records.

RELATED: Illegal alien pedophile allegedly 'physically assaulted' ICE agent during immigration operation: DHS

Jose Rivera-Medrano. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

ICE Buffalo captured Milton Antunez-Bonilla, who is from Honduras. The 40-year-old was found guilty of sexual assault against a child 15 years old in Nassau County, New York. He was sentenced to five years in prison.

Milton Antunez-Bonilla. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

Aaron Comisario-Galicia, a Mexican national, was convicted of rape in Los Angeles, California.

Aaron Comisario-Galicia. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

Federal agents nabbed 33-year-old Juan Raul Chavez-Reyes, a national from Mexico who was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon in Erath County, Texas.

Juan Raul Chavez-Reyes. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

ICE Houston arrested Joseph Perez-De La Cruz, a Mexican national who was convicted for conspiring to transport illegal aliens, placing lives in jeopardy in Del Rio, Texas. He was sentenced to three years in prison.

RELATED: Illegal alien learns his fate after a Wisconsin judge allegedly helped him evade ICE

Joseph Perez-De La Cruz. Image source: The Department of Homeland Security

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated that ICE agents are battling a severe uptick in threats.

“Even while facing an 8,000% increase in death threats against them, the brave men and women of ICE work tirelessly to get these worst-of-the-worst offenders off our streets and out of country,” McLaughlin said.

“Yesterday’s arrests include criminal illegal aliens convicted of some of the worst crimes imaginable, including sexual abuse of a minor,” she continued. “These heinous criminals have no business remaining in the country any longer, and we thank President Trump and [DHS] Secretary [Kristi] Noem for unleashing ICE to protect American communities.”

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

'I am illegal': Leftist who made shocking confession wins mayoral race in Minnesota



A Minnesota state representative who once confessed to her own apparently unlawful entry into the United States won the St. Paul mayoral race on Tuesday.

It was later revealed that Her's 'uncle' was actually not a familial relative but a family friend.

Rep. Kaohly Vang Her (DFL) secured an over-two-point victory over incumbent Mayor Melvin Carter (DFL). The election results were determined in the second ranked-choice voting round, with Her receiving fewer than 2,000 votes more than her opponent.

"My family came here as refugees," Her said during her victory speech on Tuesday evening. "Never in their wildest dreams would I be standing here today accepting the position of mayor. I want to thank Mayor Melvin Carter for his many years of service to our city. I started my political career working for him, and I will always be grateful for that opportunity."

On the state House floor in June, Her, who was born in Laos, made a startling confession while advocating for public health care for illegal immigrants. She claimed that her father, who worked at the U.S. consulate, brought her family to America by falsifying immigration paperwork.

Her's uncle had worked for the U.S. Agency for International Development and, because of that work, was immediately eligible to come to the U.S. at the end of the Vietnam War, she stated at the time.

RELATED: 'I am illegal': Democratic lawmaker’s brazen confession of family fraud implodes after failed backtrack

Saint Paul Mayor Melvin Carter. Photo by Christopher Mark Juhn/Anadolu via Getty Images

Her's immediate family did not qualify for the same expedited process. However, Her's father claimed on federal documents that Her's maternal grandmother was his mother to circumvent their ineligibility, she explained to state lawmakers.

"My father, as the one processing the paperwork, put my grandmother down as his mother," Her stated.

RELATED: Minneapolis mayoral race enters second round of ranked-choice vote counting

Photo by Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images

"And so, I am illegal in this country," she continued. "My parents are illegal here in this country."

It was later revealed that Her's "uncle" was actually not a familial relative but a family friend. She claimed that her family would have been eligible to come to the U.S. anyway and that the falsified records only sped up the process.

Since immigrating to the U.S., Her has become a U.S. citizen.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

The migrant crisis is FAR from over — and these INSANE stories are proof



America’s legal immigration system is clearly broken, and there’s a Trojan horse hiding in plain sight: the visa system — which allows migrants to overstay their visas regardless of whether or not they pose a danger to society.

And the stories of these dangerous migrants continue to pile up.

In late October, a foreign graduate student allegedly stabbed two teens with a fork and slapped a passenger on a Chicago flight to Germany, which resulted in the flight diverting to Boston.

Praneeth Kumar Usiripalli, 28, was arrested upon landing and charged with one count of assault with a deadly weapon with intent to do bodily harm.


“He just stood up and started randomly stabbing two 17-year-olds. One of them was sleeping, and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I woke up to this random Indian guy stabbing me in the head with a metal fork,’” BlazeTV Sara Gonzales explains.

“He stabbed another teen in the back of the head,” she adds.

“But the guy came to the United States legally on a student visa, and then he overstayed. ... It’s legal at first, until it’s not, and then he becomes a dangerous criminal and dangerous to our country,” she says. “This isn’t the first example of similar attacks.”

In Boulder, Colorado, an Egyptian man who came into the country on a visa in 2023 also overstayed and chose to continue residing in the U.S. as a criminal. Then on June 1 this year, he attacked pro-Israeli protesters with Molotov cocktails.

Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, threw Molotov cocktails while yelling “Free Palestine” at protesters. He injured five protesters, and one passed away from her injuries.

“He came in and he overstayed until he decided to just be a total nutjob criminal,” Gonzales comments, disgusted.

In 2021, another Egyptian man in the U.S. on a student visa stabbed a Jewish rabbi eight times outside a Jewish day school in Boston. The rabbi survived his wounds, and the attack has been labeled as a hate crime.

Khaled Awad, 24, was charged with assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon and assault and battery on a police officer.

“I wonder why it was a rabbi that he chose,” Gonzales remarks sarcastically, before continuing down the long list of violent criminals who overstayed their visas.

“I could just keep going, but I think that you get the point,” she says.

Want more from Sara Gonzales?

To enjoy more of Sara's no-holds-barred takes on news and culture, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Trump’s ‘60 Minutes’ interview was a MASTER CLASS in negotiation



There’s no doubt that President Trump’s recent “60 Minutes” interview with Norah O’Donnell was really a master class in negotiation — as his answers left the interviewer speechless and unable to criticize him.

“I know you have said that Xi Jinping wouldn’t dare move militarily on Taiwan while you’re in office, but what if he does? Would you order U.S. forces to defend Taiwan?” O’Donnell asked the president.

“You’ll find out if it happens. And he understands the answer to that,” Trump responded.

“Why not say it?” she asked, before pressing further and asking Trump what he means by “he understands.”


“Why not communicate that publicly to the rest of us? What does he understand?” she asked.

“I can’t give away my secrets. I don’t want to be one of these guys that tells you exactly what’s going to happen if something happens. The other side knows, but I’m not somebody that tells you everything because you’re asking me a question,” Trump responded.

“But they understand what’s going to happen. And he has openly said and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘We would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” he added.

Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck is impressed with Trump, but the interviewer — not so much.

“Presidents never say that. They never say that. Can you imagine? What a stupid question that is,” Glenn says on “The Glenn Beck Program.”

And Trump’s strategy has been working wonders internationally.

“The Democrats won’t say it, but everybody has always said, ‘I wish we just had a good negotiator on our side. Wouldn’t it be nice if we had somebody who looked at the country like a business and could just run it like a business and knew how to negotiate?’” Glenn says.

“We have the best negotiator I think we’ve ever had. I can’t think of anybody who’s better than that,” he adds.

Trump was also questioned by O’Donnell about ICE raids

“Americans have been watching videos of ICE tackling a young mother, tear gas being used in a Chicago residential neighborhood, and the smashing of car windows. Have some of these raids gone too far?” she asked.

“No, I think they haven’t gone far enough because we’ve been held back by the judges, by the liberal judges that were put in by Biden and by Obama,” Trump responded firmly.

“You’re OK with those tactics?” O’Donnell asked, shocked.

“Yeah, because you have to get the people out. You know, you have to look at the people. Many of them are murderers. Many of them are people that were thrown out of their countries because they were, you know, criminals,” Trump said.

“It is such a popular issue to get rid of people who are violent criminals in this country,” BlazeTV host Stu Burguiere says, and Glenn agrees.

“Seventy percent of the American people agree with the ICE raids. Seventy percent. No matter what the mainstream media makes it look, that’s the latest poll,” he says.

Want more from Glenn Beck?

To enjoy more of Glenn’s masterful storytelling, thought-provoking analysis, and uncanny ability to make sense of the chaos, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

Trump ramps up vetting of foreign workers to combat Biden's lax policies



The Trump administration is taking measures to reduce the flood of inadequately vetted foreign labor entering the United States.

The Department of Homeland Security introduced an interim final rule, effective Thursday, that ends the automatic extension of employment authorization for many foreign nationals.

'All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right.'

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services stated that the move aims to prioritize "the proper screening and vetting of aliens before extending the validity of their employment authorizations."

Foreign nationals who file for employment authorization renewals on or after Thursday will not receive an automatic extension.

USCIS contended that the change will allow for "more frequent vetting" and enable it "to deter fraud and detect aliens with potentially harmful intent" for potential removal.

The final rule notes that it aligns with President Donald Trump's executive orders "Protecting the American People Against Invasion" and "Protecting the United States From Foreign Terrorists and Other National Security and Public Safety Threats."

RELATED: Walmart, other major companies retreat from sponsoring H-1Bs following Trump administration's reforms

Photographer: Bonnie Cash/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"Ending the practice of providing automatic extension of employment authorization documents enhances benefit integrity in adjudications of work authorization requests and will better protect public safety and national security by ensuring that aliens are properly vetted and determined to continue to be eligible, and when applicable, merit a favorable exercise of discretion, for employment authorization before such authorization is provided to the alien," the interim final rule reads.

The new regulation does not apply to those with Temporary Protected Status, as those authorizations are governed separately.

RELATED: Supreme Court rejects case that would reconsider H-1B-related visas

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images

"USCIS is placing a renewed emphasis on robust alien screening and vetting, eliminating policies the former administration implemented that prioritized aliens' convenience ahead of Americans' safety and security," USCIS Director Joseph Edlow stated.

"It's a commonsense measure to ensure appropriate vetting and screening has been completed before an alien's employment authorization or documentation is extended," Edlow continued. "All aliens must remember that working in the United States is a privilege, not a right."

Center for Immigration Studies stated that the new regulation may allow the administration "to more quickly enforce immigration laws, particularly with regard to those who entered the United States illegally but were given work permits."

The interim final rule repeals a Biden administration regulation, issued in December, that increased the automatic extension period for some applicants from 180 days to 540 days from the expiration date, CIS reported.

"The Biden administration facilitated an invasion of our southern border and abused its parole, asylum, and work authorization authorities. President Trump has a mandate from the American people to stop the invasion and bring common sense back to America's legal immigration system. Since taking office, President Trump and Secretary Noem have rescinded parole for almost half a million illegal aliens, implemented a new parole fee, and ended decades-long Temporary Protected Status. Now, we are focusing on those who have no right to work here," a USCIS spokesperson told Blaze News.

"Biden's automatic extension of Employment Authorization Document (EAD) for aliens posed a security risk that allowed bad actors to continue to work in this country," the spokesperson continued. "The Trump administration's interim final rule will ensure that aliens will be properly vetted and screened before USCIS extends their work authorization."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Immigration raid at New Jersey warehouse busts illegal aliens, arresting 22% of workforce



Federal immigration agents executed a raid of a New Jersey container freight warehouse that resulted in the arrest of dozens of illegal aliens, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

'DHS is committed to maintaining the highest levels of security and accountability within bonded facilities to protect both US commerce and the public.'

Activists arrived on the scene to protest as federal agents conducted the arrests, WCBS-TV reported. They claimed that most of those taken into custody were packers for the international shipping company.

Local reports indicated that DHS agents initiated the workplace inspection at a facility owned by Savino Del Bene, a logistics company headquartered in Italy.

The sweep resulted in the arrests of 46 illegal aliens, approximately 22% of the on-site workforce, a DHS spokesperson told Blaze News.

RELATED: Soros-linked protesters to host 'rally/vigil' at Home Depot over ICE raids

Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"The operation is part of DHS' ongoing efforts to ensure compliance with customs and immigration regulations, safeguard the integrity of the supply chain, and verify that warehouse operators are adhering to all applicable security requirements," the agency spokesperson said. "DHS is committed to maintaining the highest levels of security and accountability within bonded facilities to protect both U.S. commerce and the public."

RELATED: ICE officer shoots at driver who tried to run over agent during vehicle stop in California, DHS says

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The spokesperson noted that the 46 illegal aliens will remain in DHS custody pending immigration proceedings.

Blaze News reached out to Savino Del Bene for comment.

This marks the third raid in Middlesex County in the past few months. Federal agents detained 15 employees from a wine and spirits warehouse in July and another 29 workers from a freight warehouse in August.

Atlantic Highlands Mayor Lori Hohenleitner stated that the town was not notified about the recent immigration enforcement actions.

"My police department had no idea that ICE was in our town at 6:30 in the morning last Sunday," Hohenleitner stated, referring to the unrelated arrest of Ruperto Vicens Marquez, a longtime restaurant owner. Hohenleitner accused federal agents of wrongfully arresting Marquez, who, according to KABC-TV, has a valid and recently renewed work visa.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Soros-linked protesters to host 'rally/vigil' at Home Depot over ICE raids



Progressive groups are organizing more than 100 anti-immigration enforcement protests at Home Depot and detention center locations nationwide this weekend.

'All over the country, ICE agents are targeting immigrants in and around Home Depot, attacking and terrorizing workers, customers, and surrounding communities.'

The demonstrations are advertised as a “rally/vigil” to honor “all the workers who have been kidnapped by ICE on Home Depot properties.”

Organizers accused Home Depot of “becom[ing] ICE’s passive partner,” claiming that the company “has not resisted or condemned these raids.”

“Tell Home Depot: ICE Out!” the ads read.

The planned demonstrations appear to be in response to the death of Roberto Carlos Montoya Valdez, a 52-year-old from Guatemala. In August, Montoya Valdez was fatally struck by a vehicle when he ran onto a California highway while attempting to flee the scene of a Home Depot, where federal agents were performing immigration enforcement.

The Department of Homeland Security stated that Montoya Valdez was not being pursued by any federal law enforcement agents at the time.

RELATED: No, ICE isn’t terrorizing innocent families with social media surveillance

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

“All over the country, ICE agents are targeting immigrants in and around Home Depot, attacking and terrorizing workers, customers, and surrounding communities. The raids are terrifying, chaotic, and sometimes deadly,” the ad for the protest read.

Organizers are hosting a Día de los Muertos protest outside a Pasadena Home Depot on Saturday, in honor of Montoya Valdez and two other individuals who died in separate incidents tied to Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations, according to Pasadena Now. The local outlet noted that the event will feature an altar, music, and speakers.

RELATED: Far-left congressional candidate hit with reality check after allegedly impeding ICE operations

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

The protests are a part of the Disappeared in America project, hosted by the Public Citizen Foundation, the National Day Laborers Organizing Network, the Workers Circle, and the Detention Watch Network.

The George Soros’ Open Society Foundations has made nearly two dozen grant donations, totaling over $6 million, to the Public Citizen Foundation since 2016. It has donated $700,000 directly to the Detention Watch Network and another $835,000 to the Tides Center “to support the Detention Watch Network.”

"We aren’t notified that immigration enforcement activities are going to happen, and we aren’t involved in the operations. We’re required to follow all federal and local rules and regulations in every market where we operate," Home Depot told Blaze News.

Open Society Foundations did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Exclusive: ICE busts pedophile, abuser, and fentanyl trafficker despite ongoing shutdown



The government shutdown has not hindered the Trump administration's federal agents from continuing nationwide immigration enforcement.

‘Nothing will slow us down from making America safe again — not even a government shutdown.’

On Tuesday, Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested more of the “worst of the worst” criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, abusers, and drug traffickers, according to a Department of Homeland Security press release exclusively obtained by Blaze News.

“The Democrats’ government shutdown will not stop DHS law enforcement from arresting and removing the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens from American communities. Just yesterday, ICE arrested pedophiles, abusers, violent assailants, and drug traffickers from America’s streets,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin stated.

“Nothing will slow us down from making America safe again — not even a government shutdown," McLaughlin added.

The DHS highlighted five of those arrests.

Elroy Smith, a Jamaican national, was previously convicted in Philadelphia of unlawful contact with a minor — sexual offenses and indecent assault of a person less than 13 years old. Court records show that he was sentenced in 2024 to a minimum of 11.5 months in jail.

RELATED: Major shake-up reportedly under way at DHS as Trump administration works to increase deportations

Elroy Smith. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE nabbed Joel Ocampo-Martinez, a Mexican national with a criminal record in Vernal, Utah, for attempted forcible sexual abuse.

Joel Ocampo-Martinez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Federal agents arrested Oscar Hernandez-Aguire, a Salvadoran national who was convicted in Los Angeles for inflicting corporal injury on a spouse.

Oscar Hernandez-Aguire. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Luis Mario Martinez-Gonzalez, a Mexican national, was found guilty in El Paso County, Texas, for assault on a public servant.

Luis Mario Martinez-Gonzalez. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

ICE also captured Osiris Alexander Rodriguez-Guzman, a national from the Dominican Republic, who was convicted in Essex Superior Court in Massachusetts for trafficking 200 grams or more of fentanyl. Gov. Maura Healey’s administration announced Rodriguez-Guzman’s drug trafficking arrest in 2022 as part of a state and federal takedown operation that resulted in a dozen arrests.

RELATED: House Democrats' ICE 'tracker' will 'put our lives in danger': DHS agent

Osiris Alexander Rodriguez-Guzman. Image source: Department of Homeland Security

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Beloved basketball coach, wife identified as victims of fatal crash allegedly caused by illegal alien truck driver



Authorities have identified two of the three victims in a fatal crash in California last week involving an illegal alien truck driver.

'If California had complied with the Secretary's emergency rule, ... he would have never been able to get behind his big rig.'

Clarence Nelson, a 76-year-old Pomona high school basketball coach, and his wife, Lisa Nelson, 69, were killed after a semitruck plowed into several vehicles on the I-10 freeway in Ontario on Tuesday, Fox News Digital reported. Four others were injured.

"This week, our community was deeply saddened by the tragic incident in the City of Ontario," state Senator Susan Rubio (D) said. "It's heartbreaking to learn that two of the lives lost were from my district — Pomona High School basketball coach Clarence Nelson and his wife, Lisa."

"As a teacher, I know how a loss like this ripples through an entire school community," she stated. "My heart goes out to their families, the Pomona Unified School District, and everyone mourning this tremendous loss."

The driver of the truck, Jashanpreet Singh, is a 21-year-old Indian national in the United States illegally. He was suspected of speeding while being under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash.

The California Highway Patrol arrested Singh, and he is facing charges of driving under the influence of drugs and causing bodily injury and gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated.

Singh pleaded not guilty on Friday. His next court appearance is scheduled for November 4. Singh requires an interpreter for his upcoming hearing, ABC News reported, citing court filings.

RELATED: The shocking details behind another fatal illegal alien truck crash

Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed an arrest detainer against Singh. According to ICE, he crossed the U.S.-Mexico border in 2022 and was released into the country by the Biden administration.

The Department of Transportation accused California of violating federal law by issuing Singh a commercial driver's license.

In September, DOT Secretary Sean Duffy announced the results of a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration audit that found "systemic non-compliance" among driver's licensing agencies in several states, including California. Duffy ordered a pause of California's issuance of non-domiciled CDLs, requiring the state to identify all unexpired licenses that fail to comply with regulations.

In mid-October, the DOT stated it was withholding roughly $40 million in federal funds from the state over its failure to comply with English language proficiency standards for commercial drivers.

"If California had complied with the Secretary's emergency rule and prevented the upgrade of this individual's driving privileges earlier this month, he would have never been able to get behind his big rig," the DOT stated about the deadly crash involving Singh.

The department claimed that California initially issued Singh a non-domiciled CDL in June. However, it noted that because Singh was 20 years old at the time, his license included a "K restriction" that limited his driving to intrastate operations.

On October 15, when Singh turned 21, California removed the K restriction without applying the stricter standards DOT announced in its September final rule.

RELATED: Truckers push back on driver-shortage ‘myth’ that has led to flood of foreigners in long-haul industry

Photographer: David Peinado/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"If California had complied with the Secretary's emergency rule and prevented the upgrade of Singh's driving privileges, Singh would have been required to return to the DMV (on or after October 15) to have the 'K' restriction removed and upgrade his CDL," the DOT stated. "At that time, Singh would have been subject to the emergency rule and found ineligible to retain the non-domiciled CDL due to Singh's status as an asylum seeker."

The California DMV told Blaze News that the federal government approved Singh's employment authorization, which it claimed was valid through August 2030. The DMV stated that it verified Singh's documents using the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements system, also known as SAVE. It also acknowledged that on September 26, the DOT issued an interim final rule that changed eligibility requirements.

"MISINFORMATION ALERT: The state does not determine commercial driver's license eligibility," the California State Transportation Agency wrote in a post on social media. "The FEDERAL government approves and renews all FEDERAL employment authorization documents that allows individuals to work and obtain commercial driver's licenses."

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!