California and New York licenses among those held by 95 undocumented truckers detained in Arizona CBP operation

A five-day Border Patrol operation in Yuma, Arizona, detained 143 people, including 95 undocumented truck drivers who held commercial driver’s licenses. Customs and Border Protection said 76 of those drivers had licenses from California and six had licenses from New York.

The operation ran from Aug. 10 to Aug. 14 and involved local agencies participating in Operation Stonegarden, a federal cooperation program. CBP said the intervention targeted human trafficking, drug trafficking and other organized illegal activity. The agency did not publicly identify the migrant drivers or disclose their countries of origin.

Agents also intercepted two human-smuggling operations. Four suspected smugglers were detained, along with 17 people who CBP said were being transported illegally. During the operation, authorities seized a firearm, 74 pounds of methamphetamine, equivalent to 33.5 kilograms, and 169 pounds of marijuana, or 76.7 kilograms. The detainees came from 18 countries, according to CBP.

Dustin W. Caudle, interim chief patrol agent for the Yuma Sector, praised the cooperation among authorities. He said the operation addressed several threats to public safety and that the agency remained committed to protecting residents from international threats, “whether unlicensed or inadequately trained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations involved in human or drug trafficking.”

The operation followed a new federal regulation governing commercial driver’s licenses for non-domiciled drivers. Since March 16, 2026, only people with certain lawful immigration statuses can obtain a non-domiciled commercial license or commercial learner’s permit, under rules issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.

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Whether unlicensed or inadequately trained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations involved in human or drug trafficking.