At least 30 Indians were arrested by US Border Patrol agents for living in the country illegally. According to a US Customs and Border Protection release from Monday, the Indians were part of 52 people agents from Arizona's Yuma Sector arrested from May 11-15, and are all set to be deported.
A total of 52 arrests were made, of whom 36 drove semi-trucks. Of these, 30 were Indians, and three did not possess any driver’s license.
“Thirty of the individuals were from India, while the remaining six were from Mexico, El Salvador, and Russia,” the release read. “All individuals were processed in accordance with federal law and will be deported,” it added.
The release did not reveal the identity of the 30 Indians, or others arrested under the operation.
What is Operation Checkmate?
The 52 arrests were made under ‘Operation Checkmate’, which according to the US Customs deals with detection and arrest of commercial motor vehicle operators living illegally in the country.
“Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety,” said Acting Chief Patrol Agent of the U.S. Border Patrol’s Yuma Sector Dustin W Caudle.
Also Read: Trump announces ‘Dalilah Law’ to ban immigrants from getting commercial driver licenses
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: Trump announces ‘Dalilah Law’ to ban immigrants from getting commercial driver licenses
{{/usCountry}}“My agents are on patrol every day to ensure we stop these individuals and prevent more deadly crashes from occurring on the road across the United States.”
When Indian trucker killed 3 in crash
The arrest and planned deportation of the 30 Indian semi-truck drivers in the US comes months after 21-year-old Jashanpreet Singh, another semi-truck driver living illegally in the US, killed three people in California while driving under the influence.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, Singh had entered the US illegally through the Mexico border back in 2022. He was driving a Freightliner tractor-trailer when he crashed it into an SUV and several other vehicles back in October 2025.
Before Jashanpreet Singh, another Indian truck driver, 28-year-old Harjinder Singh found himself at the centre of an accident in Florida in August 2025, that killed three people. He allegedly made a wrong U-turn, which made a minivan behind him crash, killing its driver and two passengers.
These cases had sparked demands for stricter rules for non-citizens in the US to obtain commercial drivers licenses.
Months later, US President Donald Trump announced the ‘Dalilah Law' to halt the issuance of commercial driver licenses to “illegal aliens.” As he announced the law, he referenced the case of five-year-old Dalilah from Bakersfield who was injured after a multi-car pileup was caused by Partap Singh—an illegal immigrant from India.