Secretary Of Homeland Security & ICE Hold Press Conference At Gary Airport
Federal and state authorities announced the arrest of 223 illegal immigrants, including 146 commercial truck drivers, following a multi-agency law enforcement sweep named Operation Midway Blitz.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made the announcement Thursday morning during a press conference in Gary, joined by Indiana Governor Mike Braun, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons.
“If you are here driving on our streets and highways illegally, you are endangering our citizens, and your days are numbered,” Noem said. “Too many families across this country have felt pain, been victimized, and lost loved ones because of these illegal drivers.”
According to Noem, many of the truck drivers arrested had obtained their commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in other states — primarily California, Illinois, and New York, which are considered sanctuary jurisdictions.
Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons said that a large portion of those arrested have criminal records that include charges for drug trafficking, assault, drunk driving, child abuse, rape, domestic violence, and fraud.
“It’s unconscionable that illegal aliens have CDLs and are driving 18-wheelers across our nation,” Lyons said. “Some sanctuary cities want to gamble with motorists’ lives by letting dangerous individuals operate dangerous vehicles.”
The coordinated enforcement effort, Operation Midway Blitz, is part of a renewed federal initiative under the Trump administration aimed at removing unlicensed and criminally active drivers from U.S. roadways. The operation was launched in memory of Katie Abraham, who was killed in a drunk driving hit-and-run crash allegedly caused by Julio Cucul-Bol, an illegal immigrant from Guatemala.
Indiana State Police Secretary Anthony Scott emphasized the public safety aspect of the operation:
“This isn’t about immigration status alone. It’s about public safety. An 80,000-pound truck in untrained hands is a dangerous thing,” Scott said.
The Department of Homeland Security noted the mission’s goal was to target criminal illegal aliens operating in sanctuary regions, with many of the arrests tied to fraudulent licensing schemes and unsafe driving practices.
Recent deadly incidents involving unqualified drivers have reignited concerns nationwide. In Florida, an illegal immigrant truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed three people reportedly failed his CDL test 10 times before being licensed. In California, another driver, an asylum seeker, was involved in a crash earlier this month that also claimed three lives.
