Texas authorities stopped 67 commercial vehicles, impounded five tractor-trailers and detained 14 people for immigration violations during a joint enforcement operation targeting a major trucking corridor in Wichita County.
The Wichita County Sheriff’s Office partnered with the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on Aug. 3 for an enforcement detail dubbed “The Heat Is On.”
The operation was conducted along U.S. Highway 287 between Iowa Park and Electra in North Texas.
Authorities stopped 78 vehicles during the operation, including 67 commercial vehicles and 11 passenger vehicles. Five tractor trailers were impounded, while 14 people were detained for immigration violations.
The individuals detained during the enforcement action were from Uzbekistan, India, Guatemala, Venezuela and Mexico, according to information released about the operation.
The Aug. 3 operation follows another commercial vehicle enforcement effort conducted in Wichita County earlier this summer.
Wichita County Sheriff William Rutledge said an operation dubbed “Operation June Bug” was conducted June 25 and resulted in authorities stopping 93 commercial vehicles and detaining 24 people.
The two operations combined resulted in 160 commercial vehicle stops and 38 immigration-related detentions.
The enforcement actions come amid increased scrutiny of commercial vehicle drivers and CDL compliance across the U.S., as federal and state authorities have stepped up roadside inspections and enforcement targeting driver qualifications and trucking regulations.
The Wichita County Sheriff’s Office ICE and Texas Department of Public Safety did not specify what violations were found, why the five trucks were impounded, and whether any detained drivers held CDLs.
FreightWaves reached out to the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office, ICE and the Texas DPS for additional information but had not received responses as of publication.
Why it matters: The Wichita County operation is another example of state, local and federal agencies increasingly combining commercial vehicle inspections with immigration enforcement targeting truck drivers and other motorists.
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