Indiana Steps Up Enforcement Against Immigrant Truck Drivers With Almost 300 Detentions in Three Months

Indiana authorities have stopped and prosecuted 283 immigrants holding commercial driver's licenses issued by other states since April, part of a broader crackdown tied to new state and federal restrictions on immigrant truck drivers and growing debates over surveillance and enforcement tools.

According to officials cited by the Chicago Tribune, the drivers were identified primarily at weigh stations after Indiana enacted stricter rules targeting non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses. State officials said many of the licenses had been issued in states such as New York and California, which previously allowed certain undocumented immigrants or noncitizens with temporary status to obtain CDLs.

Indiana officials argue the measures are tied to safety and federal work authorization requirements. Gov. Mike Braun's administration has framed the effort as part of a broader push to increase inspections and tighten oversight of commercial trucking following several fatal crashes involving immigrant truck drivers.

The enforcement campaign comes as the Trump administration expands federal restrictions on immigrant truck drivers nationwide. A March Department of Transportation rule limits CDL eligibility for several categories of immigrants who previously qualified to work legally in the trucking industry, including some asylum seekers and DACA recipients.

Truck drivers interviewed by The Guardian this week said the policy has already cost many immigrants their jobs or ability to renew licenses. "This not only affected us financially, but this is a huge burden mentally, emotionally, physically," said the wife of a truck driver from India working in California. "People think you can just find another job, but your entire skill set [and] experience has been built around driving this big rig."

Critics say the measures risk worsening labor shortages in the trucking industry while disproportionately targeting immigrant workers. "Safety and workforce stability must go hand in hand," Jennie Murray of the National Immigration Forum told The Guardian, warning against "harmful profiling."

At the same time, civil liberties groups in Indiana are raising concerns about the growing use of automated license plate readers by law enforcement. A petition organized by the nonprofit Eyes Off Indiana has gathered more than 1,800 signatures calling for limits on how long police can store vehicle tracking data and restrictions on sharing the information with outside agencies.