The Departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation (DOT) announced that hundreds of illegal migrants were removed from the roads across the Midwest on the first day of Operation Highway Shield.
“When illegal aliens are behind the wheels of semi-trucks, they are putting American lives in danger,” DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin wrote in a post on Tuesday after the operation hit the ground in multiple states, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, and Ohio.
Mullin added that the operation “removed more than 800 dangerous truckers from our roadways, including more than 50 illegal aliens and more than 30 drivers who failed English Language Proficiency tests.”
Trump officials carried out some 3,487 enforcement stops on the roads resulting in 36 arrests on the spot, 46 criminal charges, and made three cargo theft recoveries of merchandise with about $1 million, according to Fox News.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also touted the success of Operation Highway Shield and saying he is proud to work with Mullin on the operation.
“If you continue to illegally operate a big rig — your days on America’s streets are numbered,” he warned.
Operation Highway Shield comes after a growing number of deaths from violent road crashes caused by foreign truckers, many of whom cannot speak or read English.
An important tool in the administration’s campaign to address this dangerous rise in deaths of innocent Americans is the president’s executive order signed in April, noting that proficiency in English “should be a non-negotiable safety requirement for professional drivers.”
“They should be able to read and understand traffic signs, communicate with traffic safety, border patrol, agricultural checkpoints, and cargo weight-limit station officers,” the president’s order stated. “Drivers need to provide feedback to their employers and customers and receive related directions in English. This is common sense.”
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