Operation Highway Sentinel resulted in 45 arrests of illegal individuals with commercial driver's licenses.

On the first day, Indio personnel apprehended two individuals- one Indian national and one Tajik national.

On the second day, agents from the Indio Station apprehended four Indian nationals and one Uzbek national.

Operation Highway Sentinel specifically targeted commercial trucking companies in California.

It was launched after several fatal accidents were caused by illegal individuals who had been issued commercial driver's licenses and were operating semitrucks at the time of the accidents.

The purpose of this interagency operation was to enforce immigration law violations, safeguard US highways and uphold regulatory standards in the commercial transportation sector, CBP said.

"The success of this operation highlights the ongoing dangers posed by the unmitigated border crisis we experienced prior to 2025," El Centro Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Remenar said.

The individuals arrested should never have been operating these semitrucks, and the states issuing them commercial driver's licenses are directly responsible for the fatal accidents we have tragically witnessed recently.

Together, with our allied partners in Homeland Security Investigations and other agencies, El Centro Sector will continue to ensure that the safety of the American public is at the forefront of our efforts.

There have been several instances in recent months where Indians, who entered the US illegally, have been involved in dangerous and fatal highway crashes while driving trucks.

Rajinder Kumar, 32, was charged with criminally negligent homicide and reckless endangerment after William Micah Carter, 25 and Jennifer Lynn Lower, 24, were killed when their vehicle crashed into his semi-truck.

In August, Immigration and Customs Enforcement had lodged an arrest detainer for Harjinder Singh following his arrest for three counts of vehicular homicide while driving a semi-truck in Florida.

The same month, ICE arrested Partap Singh, who caused a multi-car pileup while driving a commercial 18-wheeler in California.

The accident left 5-year-old Dalilah Coleman with critical, life-altering injuries.

In October, ICE lodged an arrest detainer for Jashanpreet Singh, who killed three people in California while driving an 18-wheeler under the influence.