▶ 0:00:18What is that? All right. Good afternoon. The Committee on Homeland Security Subcommittee on Oversight, Investigations, and Accountability will come to order. Without objection, the chair may declare the committee in recess at any point. The purpose of this hearing is to examine how the issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver's licenses to individuals who are unlawfully present in the United States endangers public safety. We are pleased to have an expert,
▶ 0:00:48Mr. Uh chairman, I have a parliamentary question. [snorts] Uh under clause 2K1 of rule XI, the chair shall announce in an opening statement the subject of the hearing. And under clause 2K8 of rule XI, the committee is the sole judge of the uh pertinance of testimony and evidence uh aduced at its hearing.
▶ 0:01:16In order to judge if these rules could possibly be satisfied today, could the chair please tell us how the topic of this hearing and the testimony of these witnesses uh accords with the committee's rule X uh jurisdictional statement.
▶ 0:01:47Yeah, overall you're asking about the jurisdiction of this committee relative to this subject and given Homeland Security's oversight of the immigration naturalization elements and how that pertains to ICE um how that pertains to a number of different issuances. This falls within our jurisdiction as a
▶ 0:02:08Uh Mr. Chair. Uh, per rule X, the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has jurisdiction over transportation regulatory agencies and roads and safety thereof and transportation safety and transportation labor. Any bills to improve highway safety would need to be considered and voted on by that committee.
▶ 0:02:31Uh, I want it on the record before we start that this hearing is really about nothing more than scapegoating immigrants for the president's economy which is running off the road.
▶ 0:02:47All right. In response, I'm going to just read to you something so everyone can be clear why we have jurisdiction. While DOT is the primary federal regulator of CDLs, DHS plays a critical role in granting work authorizations and immigration benefits through US citizenship and immigration services, working with DOT to verify lawful presence in the country and tasking ICE to arrest and remove deploy deportable aliens who are encountered in the course of commercial vehicle enforcement. Particular through 287 agreements with state and law enforcement.
▶ 0:03:17Since September of 2025, ISIS partnered with state highway patrol agencies in several states to conduct joint enforcement operations targeting illegal illegal aliens operating commercial motor vehicles, resulting in significant arrests and taking unsafe drivers off the road. Compliance.
▶ 0:03:35Additionally, compliance with Real ID requirements is also a major security concern as some states have issued CDLs clearly failed basic verification safeguards, including an instance where the ID listed its holder as quote no name given. In my home state of Oklahoma, this was discovered for a license that allowed the holder to operate a commercial driver's license.
▶ 0:03:56The Real ID Act of 2005 passed following the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission established new standards for identification documents such as driver's license as a way to verify the identities and check the backgrounds of individuals entering vulnerable facilities, especially in the transportation system.
▶ 0:04:14And as someone myself who has a class A CDL, I understand the danger when someone has a endorsement and 80,000 pounds used as a chemical bomb. This is absolutely under the jurisdiction of this committee.
▶ 0:04:32Well, Mr. Chair, uh if I may,
▶ 0:04:35has not been recognized. Um if the gentleman has a followup, I will recognize him. You are recognized.
▶ 0:04:41Thank you, chair. Uh chairman uh the DOT alone regulates licenses regarding regardless of immigrant immigration status. Look, every collision is a tragedy, but it is already illegal and undocument that for undocumented immigrants uh to hold uh CDL and nothing the Trump administration is proposing which will take lawful drivers off the road will improve
▶ 0:05:11highway safety. DO's rules and GOP bills will actually do the opposite, resulting in more lives lost. All [snorts] right. To the ranking member, this is my last statement on the subject. I'm citing from rule X of clause one, the rules of the house. Number three, functions committee on homeland security. Number three, part of its functions functions of the Department of Homeland Security relating to the following.
▶ 0:05:37Border port security, B, customs, C, integration, E, research development, five or F, transportation All right, with that [snorts] um we will continue.
▶ 0:06:02I now recognize myself for an opening Good afternoon again. Thank you for joining us today. Today, the subcommittee will examine a serious growing threat to public safety and the rule of law. The issuance of non-domiciled commercial driver's license to illegal aliens unlawfully present in the United States. Commercial truck drivers are the backbone of the American economy. Every day, they transport food, fuel, medicine, and other critical supplies all across the United States and enable everyday life to continue without disruption.
▶ 0:06:33Currently, federal law, individual states are responsible for issuance of CDLs, but they must do so in strict compliance with the standards set by the motor federal motor carrier safety administration. The FMCSA requires that for a state to issue a non-domicile CDL, they must require the individual bey minimum standards for testing, identity, and verification. The FMCSA also recognizes that non-citizens have a basic understanding of the English language to read and understand road signs.
▶ 0:07:03Yet, recent Department of Transportation audits have revealed alarming failures by many states to comply with these requirements. For example, in Illinois, one in five non-domicile CDLs failed to meet federal standards. Last November, the Department of Transportation found that California had illegally issued 17,000 CDLs. That California had illegally issued 17,000 non-domiciled CDLs.
▶ 0:07:32A 2025 audit by FMCSA found that over 50% of the of the non-domicile CDLs issued by the state of New York were in violation of federal law. As President Trump highlighted in his State of the Union address last week, this issue has seen real and devastating consequences. In 2025 alone, at least 17 fatal crashes resulting in 30 deaths were caused by illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles with CDLs.
▶ 0:08:00One of the most tragic examples was a crash in St. Luca County, Florida. Lucy County, Florida. Am I saying that correctly, Sheriff? Is that correct? Thank you. Um, an illegal alien from India failed the CDL test 10 times in the span of two months. Let me repeat that. This accident occurred in your county. An illegal alien from India who failed a CDL test 10 times in the span of two months in the state of Washington managed to obtain his license.
▶ 0:08:28However, in California, then drove his 18 to Florida and caused a serious vehicle incident after making an illegal U-turn, instantly killing three people. These are not paperwork error errors rather they are system represent systematic breakdowns and oversight that put American families at risk. These tragic incidents were caused by drivers who should never have been entrusted with commercial driver's licenses in the first place. These individuals were unfit to hold that credential and if states would follow through with standards and laws, they would not qualify them to receive one.
▶ 0:08:59The human cost of these failures is painful. 2024 5-year-old Delay Delila Coleman was nearly killed when a tractor trailer driven by an illegal alien carried a fraudulent non-domiciled CDL directly collided with the vehicle she was in. Following this incident, Delila endured a coma and months of hospitalization and had to relearn how to walk, talk, and eat. Her recovery was nothing short of a miracle.
▶ 0:09:26While I am grateful that Delila is making progress in her recovery must be clear. This tragedy should never have happened. When the rules that protect the public are treated as optional by certain states, innocent people like Delila pay the price. You do not have to be a scholar to understand what a bad actor could do with a 40tonon tractor trailer, especially one hauling hazardous cargo onto highways. In the wrong hands, that vehicle is not just a truck. It's a weapon capable of threatening public safety and national security.
▶ 0:09:55This trend is a direct consequence of former President Biden's open border policy. President Biden claimed to have created more than 870,000 new CDL non-domic CDL holders in his first year in office. The non-domiciled element absolutely a part of that in one year.
▶ 0:10:19In contrast, the Trump administration has been working diligently to combat this issue, taking several critical steps in recent months to restore accountability and compliance with federal laws. This includes a final rule issued in February by the Department of Transportation significantly tightens eligibility standards for receiving non-domicile commercial driver's licenses. Additionally, Department of Homeland Security has increased its coordination with many states looking to crack down on illegal aliens driving commercial vehicles, launching several successful operations in Indiana and my home state of Oklahoma.
▶ 0:10:48also Texas, Wyoming to name a few. Finally, some states like Oklahoma have taken steps to introduce legislation to combat this problem. Model legislation. In May of last year, Oklahoma passed the Oklahoma Secure Roads and Safe Trucking Act, authored by State Senator Kendall Sakiri and State Representative Jonathan Wilk, which increases the threshold of non-domicile CDLs and requires that an individual provide proof of foreign citizenship and valid work visa and demonstrate English
▶ 0:11:18language proficiency. It's my hope that all states follow the footsteps of Oklahoma as they look to solve this issue. Just as a side note, as Mr. Typton is going to testify here shortly. 500 500 people were uh positioned to be removed found in a September analyzation of a way station's western Oklahoma I40 of being in violation of FMCSA 500 in Oklahoma in a in a very short time frame showing
▶ 0:11:48how people coming through this our state following suit of this uh change of statute is something that every state ought to be looking to replicate. every governor because of the tens of thousands of these commercial truck drivers that are on the roads coming through your state. Although we are writing previous wrongs, we must remain vigilant. We must make sure the states enforce the law, keep license out of the hands of unqualified people who are unlawfully present. Not a matter only of public safety, but a matter of national security.
▶ 0:12:18Again, I want to thank our witnesses for being here today, and I now yield to ranking member Thanodor.
▶ 0:12:25Uh thank you, Chairman. Uh good afternoon to all. This past weekend, a convicted felon with bone spurs illegally attacked Iran, launching a pro protracted war of regime change.
▶ 0:12:44President Trump callously said, and I quote, "We may have casualties that often happen in dismissing the over 1,000 lives lost thus far, including six American service members and 175 at a girl school.
▶ 0:13:11The Republican-run Congress sat idally by rather than returning to Washington to claim the war powers granted to it in the Constitution.
▶ 0:13:25And this subcommittee rather than focusing on how Trump's war threatens the homeland is holding yet another hearing on demonizing hardworking I am an immigrant who came to this country with very little and worked hard to achieve the American dream.
▶ 0:13:51Our country is built on the promise that anyone regardless of their background can come here, work hard and succeed. That is why I am disturbed and offended that the Trump administration is responding to American Truckers United's call to eliminate trucking operators from foreign lands.
▶ 0:14:21The Department of Transportation is [snorts] actively trying to strip refugees, as Dhaka recipients of their commercial drivers license under the false pretense of highway safety. If DOT is successful, or 5% of commercial drivers will be removed from the road.
▶ 0:14:49We are all highly dependent upon these drivers to move goods across the country, take our children to school, transport commuters, maintain and repair roads, and clear streets after the storm. Over 70% of nation's freight movers by truck. Freight moves by truck.
▶ 0:15:16Reducing the number of commercial drivers will disrupt the economy and deepen the affordability crisis that already plagues America. The US econom economy is running out of road. Americans are already struggling to afford groceries, medicine, and other goods because of Trump's tariffs.
▶ 0:15:41Fewer drivers also means fewer school mass transit services, and snow plows. Daily life will get harder, except for the men in the Epstein files who fly in luxury jets to private islands.
▶ 0:16:00Replacing 200,000 experienced CDL drivers will with less experienced drivers who statistically are more prone to accidents will reduce safety.
▶ 0:16:15Rather than pursuing sensible solutions to prevent collisions, such as requiring speed limiting technologies in trucks, the Trump administration would rather punish immigrants who have a safe driving record than US citizens.
▶ 0:16:35Immigrants with non-domiciled CDLs have invested significant resources to satisfy the training, skills, knowledge test, and requirements applicable to all individuals seeking to hold CDLs.
▶ 0:16:53It is already illegal to issue CDLs to undocumented migrants and federal law requires commercial motorway operators to be proficient in English, including highway traffic signs and enforce the existing laws but do not strip immigrants who are here legally of their livelihood which will harm the US economy and reduce public services.
▶ 0:17:24I thank Miss Louu uh for joining us today and look forward to her explaining how she is fighting the Trump administration's illogical attempts to change the eligibility rules for CDLs. Uh thank you, Mr. Chair, and I yield
▶ 0:17:43All right. Thank the ranking member. Uh other members of the committee are are reminded opening statements may be submitted for the record. I am pleased to have a distinguished panel of witnesses before us today on this critical topic. And pursuant to committee rule 8C, I ask our witnesses to please rise and raise their right Um, do you solemnly swear that the testimony you will give before the committee on homeland security of the United States House of Representatives will be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. So help you God.
▶ 0:18:15Uh, let the record reflect that the witness have answered in the affirmative. Thank you. Please be seated. Uh, I would now like to formally introduce our witnesses. Um, Mr. Tim Tipton is the commissioner of my home state of the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety. He is a nationally recognized expert on police training practices and with nearly 38 years of experience at the department. Um, M. Mr. Richard Del Toro Jr. is the sheriff of St. Lucy County, Florida. Prior to his election as sheriff, Mr.
▶ 0:18:44Del Toro served his 26 years with the Port St. Lucy Police Department retiring as chief of police. Uh, foreign affairs chairman Mast was going to try to be here to do a special introduction, but he got held up in and other activities. Uh, Miss Wendy Lou is an attorney at Public Citizen Litigation Group. I thank each of our distinguished witnesses for being here today. I now recognize Commissioner Tipton for five minutes to summarize his opening statement.
▶ 0:19:15Thank you, Chairman Bkin and Ranking Member Thanar and esteemed members of the subcommittee. I appreciate the opportunity to share with you the Oklahoma Highway Patrols experience with the shocking amount of transnational freight being transported by illegal aliens. The month after President Trump took office, ICE announced its task force model agreements. These agreements allowed state and local officers to become credentialed to enforce immigration laws during routine law enforcement encounters.
▶ 0:19:45OP immediately joined and rapidly sent all 730 of its officers through the ICE credentiing process. With every Oklahoma trooper now having an ICE credential, we've been given a unique and firsthand view of the prolific problem of illegal aliens operating CMVs on our national interstate and defense highway system. By way of a quick example, last September, OHP and ICE conducted a joint emphasis in western Oklahoma along the Interstate 40 corridor.
▶ 0:20:14During this emphasis, OHP took 90 CMV operators into custody for immigration violations. Aliens from all over Eastern Europe, Asia, and Africa. This means that in an approximate 24 hours of shift work on a random weekday in the middle of our heartland, roughly 50% of OP's CMV encounters resulted in the arrest of an illegal alien.
▶ 0:20:39In fact, since late summer of 25 2025, OP's taken over 450 CMV operators into custody for immigration violations. Many of these drivers struggle with even basic English language proficiency and likely receive their licenses from an unscrupulous CD CDL mill. Through this experience, OP has learned of several concerning problems with the federally regulated system for issuance of CDLs.
▶ 0:21:06I will share an account of one OP immigration arrest that highlights these problems. During a joint OP ICE emphasis, OP encountered a driver operating an 80,000lb semitr traveling from California to Missouri. As our trooper was performing a standard CMV inspection, the driver presented a Real ID compliant CDL with the first name listed as no name given.
▶ 0:21:31After discovering the driver was an illegal alien, our trooper used his ICE 287G credential to arrest him for immigration violations. On many similar occasions, we've encountered illegal aliens operating with facially valid CDLs.
▶ 0:21:47CDLs with expiration dates far exceeding the aliens temporary immigration status, CDLs not being labeled non-domiciled as required by FMCSA regulations, and real IDs being issued to illegal aliens, including real IDs listing uh listed only a first or last name.
▶ 0:22:07OP's experience cooperates the FMCSA's recent policy position that an employment authorization document or an EAD is an inadequate qualifier for an alien to operate in this highly regulated critical infrastructure industry. FMCSA's recent rulemaking on non-domicile CDLs represents a practical and effective solution to many of these problems. However, challengers have already filed suit to upend FMCSA's new rules.
▶ 0:22:37I urge Congress to support this rulemaking effort and to pass any legislation that may be necessary to respond to judicial challenges. That leaves the concerns about Real IDs being issued to aliens as a with a tenuous immigration status. I'm surprised and concerned about the temporary aliens being granted real IDs. As you are aware, the purpose of a real ID is to serve as a gatekeeping function into federal facilities, commercial airline travel, and even nuclear facilities.
▶ 0:23:06However, the the however, the act authorizes issuance of real IDs to aliens with nothing more than temporary visas, pending applications for asylum, or temporary protected status, or even a deferred action status, which is merely a parole into the US. In view of the CA in view of the gatekeeping function of real IDs, I urge reconsideration of the qualifiers for aliens to receive these credentials.
▶ 0:23:33Let us not forget that a CDL with a hazardous materials endorsement permits a driver to drive a liquid bomb to virtually any location in America. 911 should remind us how critical it is to safeguard our transportation network. A coordinated nationwide effort, enforcement effort is critical to protecting our nation, not only from dangers to the motoring public of unqualified alien drivers, but also from potential terrorist threats.
▶ 0:24:02Thank you again, Chairman Bken, Ranking Member Thandor, and members of the subcommittee for permitting me to share with you the experience of the Oklahoma Highway
▶ 0:24:12Thank you. Um, I now recognize Honorable Del Toro for uh his five minutes.
▶ 0:24:20Good afternoon, Chairman Been, Ranking Member Thanodar, and distinguished members of the subcommittee. I I appreciate the opportunity to appear before you today and for your leadership in examining this important public safety issue. I'm honored to serve as sheriff of St. Lucy County, Florida, and I come before you today with more than 25 years of law enforcement experience dedicated to protecting the communities I serve. I'm here today because of a tragedy.
▶ 0:24:45On August 12th, 2025, three innocent people in my county lost their lives in a catastrophic crash on the Florida Turnpike involving a commercial motor vehicle. The investigation revealed that the driver of that vehicle had previously entered the United States illegally and was operating with a commercial driver's license issued by another state earlier that same year. For the families of those victims, this is not a policy debate. It's a permanent Commercial motor vehicles can weigh up to 80,000 pounds.
▶ 0:25:16When operated unsafeely, they have the potential to cause devastating consequences in a matter of seconds. That is why strong, consistent, and reliable safety standards for commercial driver's licensing are essential to protecting the public. Florida has taken important steps to strengthen verification, improve coordination with federal authorities, and ensure compliance with federal standards.
▶ 0:25:39However, when these standards vary between states, those inconsistencies can create vulnerabilities that place our communities at risk. My purpose in appearing before you today is not to assign blame, but to share the reality that I've witnessed as sheriff and to support efforts that enhance public safety, strengthen accountability, and prevent future tragedies. Highway safety is not a partisan issue. It is a public safety responsibility.
▶ 0:26:06The American people expect and deserve confidence that every individual operating commercial motor vehicle on our roadways has met the highest standards of qualification, training, and verification. As sheriff, my oath is to protect life, and I'm here today to help ensure we do everything possible to uphold that responsibility. Thank you for your time, and I look forward to answering your questions, sir.
▶ 0:26:27Thanks, Sheriff. Uh, Miss Lou, for your opening statement. Good afternoon, Chairman Bken, Ranking Member Tanadar, members of the subcommittee. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am Wendy Louu, an attorney with Public Citizen Litigation Group, the litigating arm of the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, which was founded in 1971.
▶ 0:26:51The litigation group represents the petitioners challenging the rule recently issued by the Trump administration that would prohibit documented immigrants from holding commercial driver's licenses even though they have legal authorization from the federal government to work jobs in the United States. As we all agree, highway safety is of critical importance. Trucking crashes on the nation's roads cause serious injury and take many lives. Each one a tragedy for family and friends.
▶ 0:27:21For that reason, Public Citizen has for decades advocated for strong rules addressing the hours of service that truckers may drive each day or week and for meaningful truck driver training. Limitations on driving hours and requirements for training are proven measures to improve highway safety.
▶ 0:27:40But barring people with lawful work authorization who have obtained their commercial driver's licenses by completing the required training and passing the required tests, including tests administered in English, will not make our roads safer. Doing so will replace more experienced drivers with less experienced ones and potentially increase the number of fatigued drivers on the road. It will exacerbate a wellocumented need for truck drivers in the industry.
▶ 0:28:07It will harm the economy by increasing costs during an affordability crisis. And it will harm state and local governments and the people they serve who depend on these drivers for essential public services, including public transportation, school buses, highway and road maintenance, utility services, and disaster response. Importantly, under current law, no undocumented person, no illegal alien can hold a commercial driver's license.
▶ 0:28:34Every DACA recipient, asale, asylum seeker, person with temporary protected status, or refugee who holds a non-domiciled commercial driver's license has been issued a work permit by the Department of Homeland Security's US Citizenship and IM immigration services authorizing that person to work in the United States. And every person issued a commercial driver's license in this country, non-citizens and citizens alike, must go through the exact same training and pass the exact same tests.
▶ 0:29:05And every truck driver with the commercial driver's license, must demonstrate English proficiency. They must be able to read and speak English sufficiently to converse with the public, understand highway traffic signs and signals, and respond to official inquiries. These requirements likely explain why the Trump administration has no data showing that non-citizens cause more crashes than US citizens.
▶ 0:29:28And although the Department of Transportation has identified 17 examples of crashes in 2025 that it says likely involve a non-citizen, there are on average 4,000 fatal crashes every year. 17 is less than 1% of that number, meaning that over 99% of fatal crashes are caused by US citizens and lawful permanent residents, according to the Department of Transportation's own data.
▶ 0:29:55Every fatal crash is a tragedy, but prohibiting documented immigrants from driving trucks and buses will not improve highway safety. It will harm our economy. It will disrupt and curtail essential public services provided by state and local governments. and it will destroy the livelihoods of thousands of individual drivers and their families who depend on these licenses to pay for groceries, utilities, and other basic expenses.
▶ 0:30:20My organization has been inundated with emails and messages from people across the country who are terrified because losing their license would mean losing their sole or primary source of income and their ability to continue providing for themselves and their family. These are people who have lived in the United States for years or decades and who have built careers based on their ability to have a commercial driver's license.
▶ 0:30:44They include DACA recipients who have been living in the United States ever since they were small children, who have no memory of any other country, who have driven trucks safely for years and who have met every single requirement that has been asked of them. They are workers, small business owners, dedicated family members, and contributors to the US economy.
▶ 0:31:03All they ask for, as one DACA recipient put it, is the opportunity to continue working, to continue providing, and to continue living productively in the only country that they have ever known as home. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today.
▶ 0:31:19Thank you, Miss Lou. Um, I'm now going to instead of going through ranking order, I want to represent recognize Representative Fong given a time limitation on his part. Representative Fong, you are uh uh now given five minutes. I think you may have a special guest also as a part of your opening
▶ 0:31:37Uh thank you, Mr. Chair. This is a a very uh important hearing that we're having and uh it's very personal to me. I have uh the honor of introducing I know they have to catch a flight uh later this afternoon, but we have uh I think the chair read the story of of Delila Coleman who was in a horrific uh uh car accident with a with a um someone who was here illegally uh who obtained an illegal CDL um in California. But Delilah here is now seven years old.
▶ 0:32:04She's in the audience here with her father Marcus and her mother her mother mother Alana who I think they just got engaged at the White House uh last week if you saw the video. So they are from Bakersville, California, my my hometown. And so I just wanted to make sure to recognize them and put a face to this issue and the family to this issue as
▶ 0:32:25If the gentleman just yield quickly, thank you all for taking the time to be here. We are so grateful to see her in such good health. Please continue. So I I want to applaud um the Coleman family. They've taken a a preventable tragedy and and a horrific um u situation that has affected them and um made it their cause to make our roadways safer.
▶ 0:32:52Um, and it's worth uh uh noting again, and I'll reread the the the um the details that the chair um mentioned in his opening statement. In June 2024, in San Bernardino County, California, 5-year-old Delila Coleman and her stepfather, Michael uh were seriously injured in a multi-vehicle pileup caused by an illegal immigrant driving a commercial 18-wheeler who sped through a construction zone and failed to stop for traffic.
▶ 0:33:16Delilah suffered lifelong injuries including cerebal palsy, developmental delays and loss of speech and she is now u worked very hard to relearn how to walk. The driver who illegally entered the United States in October of 2022 was released under the Biden administration and held a Californiaisssued CDL. This preventable tragedy forever al altered Delila's bright future. Uh I had the chance to meet with the Laya and her family to discuss Delila's law.
▶ 0:33:44the the uh the uh uh legislation that they are working to uh introduce and to um pass that would require states to limit trucking licenses, US citizens and lawful permanent residents and certain work visa holders. And number two, revoke all trucking licenses currently issued to illegal migrants as a condition of receiving funding from the Department of Transportation. I did want to ask Mr. Chipton, what is your your assessment on the role states have in preventing future tragedies by non-domicile CDL
▶ 0:34:19So I guess I think it's a multifaceted role that the states can play. one is uh working with ICE in these 287G uh task force models which allow for state and local law enforcement to be able to uh verify immigration status.
▶ 0:34:38Um, the problem that we run into on the on roadside is that the person that we're talking to may have a facially valid CDL end date and and when you run that CDL through our law enforcement network system, it comes back as valid, but then when we check on the immigration status, the the they're they're not here legally. Now, they may have originally crossed the border. I I'll tell you my experience. I've interviewed many of these folks have we as we've taken them into custody.
▶ 0:35:09They've under the former administration, they would cross the border, be detained, be released, and given, you know, an employment authorization document at that time. So now that they've got this document in hand, they can then go to a truck driving training school, one of these CDL mills, get a certifi a and in many instances obviously not be able to pass the certification because they can't speak English
▶ 0:35:40efficiently to be able to pass and then go get a a CDL. So on its face value, it looks like they're they're valid, but unless you have the authority and the ability to work with uh ICE and verify their immigration status, you don't realize that they're here illegally. Um so I think working that that's step one. States have to work with uh with the federal government in order to be able to take adequate enforcement.
▶ 0:36:07So that leads to my next question and and it refers to sanctuary state policies in California. Unfortunately, we are a sanctuary state. I opposed it when it was moving through the state legislature. Um, but can you So, I I think what you've outlined is when a CDL is issued in one state, that driver is allowed to operate across all 50 states. So, if if California applies a weaker CDL standard, that uh creates a public safety risk for the other states. Is that correct?
▶ 0:36:35Absolutely. Across the board. Um, you know, we and of course I live in a state that we call it the crossroads of America. I35 that runs from Mexico to Canada, I40 east and west coast and then I44 and those all interchange in in Oklahoma City. And so the amount of nationwide over the road trucking that comes through our state is is a massive number.
▶ 0:37:01So, we see it routinely that other states that don't apply the same type of standard. Yeah. Those those drivers are going to be coming right through Oklahoma.
▶ 0:37:10Thank you. I I appreciate the chair's flexibility. Uh thank you and thank you Delila and and the Coleman family for being here. Uh you're all an inspiration to us. Thank you.
▶ 0:37:17The gentleman yields. I now recognize Representar for his five minutes
▶ 0:37:23Thank you, Chairman. Truckers move nearly 3/4 of the country's freight, making them an indispensable part of US supply chain. Without truckers, there would be no food on grocery store shelves, products at big box stores, or fuel at gas stations.
▶ 0:37:50Nearly 20% of truck drivers in the US are just as they make up 20% of overall US workforce and they often do the demanding and dirty jobs no one else These drivers have invested significant time and resources into their careers as commercial
▶ 0:38:20drivers and many of them have accumulated decades of experience. But now the Trump administration is unlawfully attempting to strip some of their these immigrants of their commercial licenses and their This will not only create undue hardship on their families, but it will also further harm the US economy.
▶ 0:38:50President Trump's economy is not the greatest ever in history as he claims. Much like his tariffs, the president's immigration drag net is fueling affordability crisis.
▶ 0:39:06Miss Lou, can you please explain how the Department of Transportation's actions to restrict immigrants eligibility for commercial drivers licenses will harm the US economy?
▶ 0:39:23Thank you for your question. Prohibiting documented immigrants from having commercial driver's licenses will increase costs in the middle of an affordability crisis. Trucks are the main way goods are moved across this country. Approximately 73% of freight by weight is moved along America's highways from consumer products to food to construction materials. There is a wellocumented need for truck drivers in this country. Industry has reportedly estimated a shortage of tens of thousands of truck drivers.
▶ 0:39:52The Trump administration's exclusion of documented immigrants from the truck driver workforce would force 200,000 experienced drivers out of the market, shrinking the existing workforce by 5%. That will disrupt supply chains, delayed the delivery of goods and materials, and increase rates for freight operations. Already, news reports say that the cost of a single freight trip from New Jersey to Texas has gone up by more than 35% because of a national shortage of immigrant truck drivers.
▶ 0:40:21Thank you. Thank you so much. Uh, Mr. Chair, I seek unanimous consent to add to the record a letter from Teamsters California opposing DO's rule prohibiting most nonitizens from obtaining or renewing their CDLs.
▶ 0:40:37Without objection. So ordered. In addition to the vital role truckers play in the US supply chain and economy, they also play a crucial role in providing public services to our communities.
▶ 0:40:57They drive the school buses that take our kids to school, operate plas to clear snow during blizzards, and run the mass transit system commuters rely on to get to work, just to name a few.
▶ 0:41:15Uh, Miss Louu, uh, 19 attorney generals oppose Trump administration's efforts to take commercial drivers license away from immigrants because of the negative impact on public services in their states. Several local governments and government leaders who support the ongoing litigation uh, shared similar concerns.
▶ 0:41:41Can you please walk us through how the Department of Transportation's rule would reduce and degrade essential public services? Thank you for your question. Prohibiting documented immigrants from having CDLs will disrupt and curtail essential public services. These governments depend on drivers to drive buses for schools, mass transit systems, to transport people to work, to operate construction vehicles, to maintain and repair roads.
▶ 0:42:08With fewer drivers, these services will be disrupted and public safety will be harmed. For example, a shortage of snowplow operators means that a local government will not be able to treat the roads, resulting in more hazardous driving conditions and increasing crashes. Thank you for your
▶ 0:42:22Thank Thank you, Miss Lou. I'm out of time, so I yield back. [snorts]
▶ 0:42:26Thank the gentleman. He yields. I now recognize Representative Van Eps for his five minutes of questioning.
▶ 0:42:32Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for holding this immensely important hearing and to our witnesses for joining us. Highway safety impacts Americans every day. States like California that refuse to enforce driver's license standards are putting every driver and passenger on the road in danger. When even one unqualified driver is handed a commercial driver's license, the danger does not stop at a state line. It puts every highway and every family on the road at risk. And the reality is this is not about a single single reckless driver.
▶ 0:43:02It is about tens of thousands operating nationwide. Last year, in my home state of Tennessee, the Biden administration granted a non-English-speaking illegal alien work authorization, allowing him to obtain a commercial driver's license. This man went on to cause a multi-vehicle crash, killing one and injuring two others. These senseless deaths must stop. I'm extremely proud of what the Tennessee Highway Patrol has accomplished, working with DHS to get dangerous illegal aliens off our roads and keep our communities safe.
▶ 0:43:33But this issue has to be fixed across the board. And whether it be fraud or sheer negligence, we cannot tolerate sanctuary cities giving licenses to unsafe drivers. Sheriff Del Toro, we have heard about the tragic vehicle incident in St. Lucy County, Florida, involving an illegal alien from India carrying a non-domiciled CDL, killing three people. While we recognize this remains an active and ongoing investigation, can you share any further details with us in how this incident has impacted your
▶ 0:44:04So, it's impacted our county in a very tragic way by the loss of three lives and it was an illegal Uturn in the middle of our Florida Turnpike and really for no reason. There was no emergency that was ahead. It was just an illegal U-turn where completely unsafe maneuver uh caused three people who were traveling close to 80 miles an hour to go underneath the back of that truck and lose their lives. So, it's impacted our community in a big way.
▶ 0:44:31was a national story obviously because of the fact of the non-domicile CDL issue by an illegal immigrant that came over the border I believe in 2018 was issued a notice to appear uh for that violation um and then as the chairman stated had failed a test in the state of Washington I think believe 10 times before obtaining it in California. So, it shed a big light on things and I think one of the things that we have to do as public servants and elected officials is identify problems and come up with ways to solve those problems.
▶ 0:45:00I believe the chairman mentioned there was 200,000 CDLs issued to illegal immigrants. Um, and we all agree that illegal immigrants by the law are not allowed to obtain these non-domicile CDLs. So, what can we do to solve that problem? And I think Florida has taken a big step uh towards that. And I'd like to just share with you a few uh key components to some changes that they've made regarding non-domicile CDLs,
▶ 0:45:25So, Florida only issues licenses to drivers who are in the country legally. Licenses issued to non-citizens with temporary legal presence, non-domiciled, are valid for a year or the last date of the customer's legal status, whichever comes soonest. For each license issued to non-citizens, Florida verifies electron electronically which DHS and the save system that the customer had legal presence in the United States.
▶ 0:45:51We then scan and maintain all documents presented by the driver to establish their identity and legal status and these documents are available in our David system. All issuance involving drivers with temporary legal presence non-dimiciled are conducted in person. If a non-citizen is only allowed to be in the US on a temporary basis, we place the words temporary on the front of that driver's license. And that is due to Federal Motor Vehicle Carrier Safety Administration rules updates. And Florida will also begin printing the words non-domiciled on the license moving forward.
▶ 0:46:21The written CDL knowledge test was previously provided in Spanish and English with private approval from the FMCSA. However, Florida recently changed its policy that all driver's license testing includes class C or class E, correct? uh must be taken in English only.
▶ 0:46:36The behind the wheel CDL skills test is also provided uh in English as required by FMCSA regulations and at the request of FMCSA, Florida paused all issuance of CDLs to non-domicile drivers on November 24, 2025 and plans to resume issuances after the new FMCSA rules become effective in mid-March this month. So, this isn't to hurt anybody that's here illegally in our country.
▶ 0:47:01Um, it's just a way to vet it out, increase our standards, which is, I think, is our responsibility as elected officials to protect the public and enhance roadway safety.
▶ 0:47:11Thanks, Sheriff, and thanks for being here today. Uh, Mr. Chairman, I'm out of time. Yield back.
▶ 0:47:17The gentleman yields. I now represent recognize Representative Strong for his five minutes of question.
▶ 0:47:23Thank you, Mr. uh, Chairman Brook. I thank each of our witnesses for being here today, for the work that you do to keep America safe. Uh this hearing is about a simple uh issue. When Americans share the road with a commercial vehicle, they should be confident that people behind the wheel are properly vetted, lawfully authorized, and qualified to operate a commercial vehicle. I speak firsthand.
▶ 0:47:48I held a commercial driver's license with a passenger endorsement because my family owned a fleet of 45 foot PBOS buses that traveled throughout this country for more than 40 years. without a chargeable accident last year.
▶ 0:48:04Uh you think u the last thing you would want is someone behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle that doesn't understand the laws of the land, don't understand turning radiuses, don't understand stopping distances, and uh they've got to respect the laws of the land. That's a simulation to the United States of America.
▶ 0:48:26Under the previous administration, enforcement gaps allowed fraudulent documents and stolen identities to slip through the cracks, leaving states to deal with drivers who never should have been behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle. In my home state of Alabama, joint enforcement actions recently removed dozens of unsafe truck drivers from the highways, including individuals with no valid license at all. Unfortunately, not all states share the same sense of urgency in taking action.
▶ 0:48:57Commissioner Tipton, in your testimony, you confirm that states are encountering fake documents, identity fraud, and completely invalid license being used to obtain or attempt to obtain CDLs. Alabama's uh Alabama's experience shows that targeted coordination between state law enforcement and federal partners is is crucial to identifying and removing unsafe commercial drivers from the roads. And you've described a similar effort in Oklahoma.
▶ 0:49:28How essential is that kind of strong routine coordination between state law enforcement and federal partners to effective CDL oversight and highway Thank you for the question. Um, again, it goes to every area of state coordination with the with the with the federal government.
▶ 0:49:47Um, at the at the issuance, at the uh at the certification of schools who put on this training and the uh the ability to uh ensure that the training is of quality and that the the people who pass that training do understand the rules of the road and and can read road signs and all the things that you just explained. on the enforcement side of it.
▶ 0:50:13Um I we would not be able to do this work if it wouldn't be for the partnership that we have with the federal government. I'll I'll tell you what we're seeing now. We've ran I believe five special emphasis at our ports of entry um over the past nine months. Our one of our So we did one out west that I spoke of earlier. We then went to the eastern side of the state on I40 at the Oklahoma uh Arkansas border.
▶ 0:50:40Within minutes of us setting up and starting our operation, my intel analyst were seeing social media post all the way out to the North and South Carolina coast telling people Oklahoma's doing it again. Go around Oklahoma. Don't go through Oklahoma if if if you're if you're driving a truck and you're not here legally because they knew that we were working with ICE.
▶ 0:51:06So now we're combating it to where they're going to either divert around our state or they're going to hold in another state until we're not out working. So I believe it's incumbent upon us to work in a coordinated effort across multiple states at the same time, same type of operations if you really want to get a true uh enforcement and and and make some true action on this. That's the greatest greatest compliment your state can get is that they're enforcing the laws.
▶ 0:51:33When your um Sheriff Del Toro, when your deputies stop a commercial vehicle uh and discover licensing or identity issues, that doesn't just raise uh paperwork concerns, it creates a real safety risk on the roads. Is that a true
▶ 0:51:48Yes, sir. Uh, one theme we've heard today is that verification matters, whether it's verifying identity, legal eligibility, or basic qualifications before someone is trusted with a serious u serious responsibility. The House has twice passed the Save America Act, which focuses on requiring voter ID to ensure only US citizens participate in federal elections. I was proud to vote in favor of that legislation.
▶ 0:52:16Sheriff Del Toro, from a public safety standpoint, do you agree that the same common sense principles apply here? That verifying identity and eligibility before granting access, whether to a ballot or an 80,000 pound commercial vehicle is far safer than trying to fix the problem after the
▶ 0:52:36Yes, sir. Mr. Chairman, my time is expired. I yield back.
▶ 0:52:40The gentleman yields. I now recognize myself for my five minutes of questioning. Um, I want to say how excited I am that the uh Trump administration has taken this issue very seriously.
▶ 0:52:56And on February 13th of 2026, how the Department of Transportation did issue a final rule that will restrict the issuance of non-domicile CDLs to foreign drivers and that will raise the eligibility standards to prevent these unqualified drivers and these bad actors. We're not talking about those that are here legally. We're talking about those that are in violation of FMCSA federal guidelines. The CDL issuance is not to be taken lightly.
▶ 0:53:22Again, you can weaponize, especially with the hazmat endorsement, you can weaponize an 80,000lb rig. for those in the trucking industry. Um, for those of us that had to learn to drive a semi and downshift and and now that the innovation of automatic transmissions are out there, it's making the type of driver that is sitting in a semi not as educated on downshifting and how far you have to pace off of someone in front of you. And if you're a truck driver, you know exactly what I'm talking about.
▶ 0:53:51And so, there's a heightened safety element that has to be uh adhered to. and the fact that we're hearing about these CDL meals that may be lacking not only basic instruction to make sure people can read in English the road signs and know that there is a sign that says your speed in a work zone and they would otherwise if they didn't the ability to read that would only see a number flashing at them.
▶ 0:54:19There's some real critical elements that being able to read in English is going to create havoc if we don't understand this and it's much much much far in s surpassing of of that. Um, what can we be doing to any of the witnesses? I'm going to zero in with you, Mr. Typton, because you've been paying attention to other states like Oklahoma. What What can we be doing on a federal level outside of what the president, his administration has been doing?
▶ 0:54:49I know that uh Representative Rouseer has a a measure that could be codified. What else can we do? We be doing on the federal level. Again, as I mentioned earlier, you know, I think that already suits have been filed against the new upcoming rules that FMCA is going to implement this month.
▶ 0:55:08Um, I think it's such a critical area that an employee authorization document is not sufficient to be able to then turn around and and go get a CDL. It does not uh and and it's obvious that the crackdown on the CDL mills, the schools that are supposedly safely training these these folks.
▶ 0:55:30when when when when I when I encounter when our troopers encounter someone who has supposedly passed a test, has their CDL, and and um obviously can't read and speak English and understand the rules of the road. Uh those schools have to be have to be shut down.
▶ 0:55:48Absolutely. I I'll I'll tell you it and and this is in my experience um with what I've seen in in in interviewing these people who are driving these trucks as we take them into custody. I believe there was there's been coordinated effort to bring people to the southern border under the last administration, get them through the border, get them an an EAD issued.
▶ 0:56:12Yeah. They go to the school and get this certificate and then go to a state. new CDLs issued under Biden's first year. The fact that we know 50% of those who have obtained a CDL in the state of New York are fraudulently uh they are they are illegally here. They are not in compliance. 50% of what New York has issued.
▶ 0:56:3617,000 people with CDLs have been granted them in violation of federal statute in the state of California. Um, what else can we be doing on the state levels? What I'm excited about is the opportunity for governors, state lawmakers to have heard this hearing, understand what the Trump administration is doing. These thousands of commercial truck drivers, as you said, they're getting on social media and saying bypass Oklahoma, bypass Indiana. They're taking this thing seriously because they're working with ICE. What would be your message?
▶ 0:57:06Because you're going to have the sanctuary type states that are going to and I'm grateful to an administration that's saying you're going to do this in violation. Get ready. Federal highway funds could be your loss. That is the right thing to do. The federal law has to be followed because national security is at risk here as well.
▶ 0:57:23What would be your comments to any state governor in a red state that would be willing to bring ICE in, let them work with their OP, their their highway patrolman like like you did, you all did and making sure that they were an education, but making sure the database of who who's here illegally that if 20 states were doing this, what could that do to expedite getting these people caught and off the
▶ 0:57:46It could be done in such a short amount of time because they're moving every day across the country. I think Oklahoma is a model example of when state and local law enforcement work with ICE, there's not chaos. There's not all of this uproar. Oklahoma across the the year 25, we ranked in the top three monthtomonth on how many illegal criminal aliens we removed from our state from from from the country.
▶ 0:58:15We ranked in the top three. You don't see all the chaos and it's due to that cooperation. So for the safety of everybody involved, both the motoring public on the CMV issue, the the potential terrorist type threat, you know, you and I come from a state, we understand what truck bombs can do and and uh for the the safety of everybody involved, the cooperation with ICE is critical and can be done in a calm, legitimate, legal way.
▶ 0:58:44Um with that, my time has expired. I want to just because we've had I think we've come in under time. Is there anyone else represent Thanodar, Representative Van Eps, would you have an additional question that you would like to ask given our panelists still here and either one of you?
▶ 0:59:01I'll ask one more, Mr. That's that's okay. Just to follow up on that on that last point uh to Commissioner Typton and
▶ 0:59:08Um commercial drivers have access to ports, energy facilities, military bases, and hazardous materials routes. How does your state conduct enhanced vetting for sensitive cargo? I can't speak to how they vet out um cargo at ports. I've never worked down near one. Um but I can tell you though as far as the the vetting of drivers, that needs to happen.
▶ 0:59:35Um and that's why it's so important that the Florida's taking the step to vet these drivers that have getting these non-domicile CDLs are done in person. They verify with our federal partners. We're no longer working in silos. Um, and I'm sure they're doing that as well with with cargo as well. So, I think it's just an important thing to recognize uh the changes we've made in Florida. Uh, and moving forward, I think we need to see more of that.
▶ 0:59:58Um, especially with Can I just touch real quick on the Real ID um in the the 2005 act where the states still have the right to issue licensing, but in order to meet federal standards, um, they have to meet certain standards to be recognized federally to get on a commercial aircraft transporting hazardous materials.
▶ 1:00:16That's why I think it's so important um just that simple act itself could really help in in raising the standards up for these states where they can still do the license issuing but they have to meet some federal standards which could include in-person vetting uh their immigration status working with the states working with our federal partners to ensure that to insert uh ensure safer
▶ 1:00:36Thank you.
▶ 1:00:36Thank you sir.
▶ 1:00:37Following the theme of the line additional question represent Theodor you're recognized.
▶ 1:00:43Thank you chair. Uh, is it true that the standards for commercial driver's licenses for US citizens and permanent residents are identical to the standards for non-domiciled commercial drivers That is documented immigrants who are authorized to work in the United States.
▶ 1:01:11Can you repeat the question, sir?
▶ 1:01:13It's just a yes or no question. Are the are the standards the same as they are for the US citizens drivers or permanent
▶ 1:01:20resident? Correct.
▶ 1:01:22Yeah. Okay. Uh, and is it also true that the requirements to obtain commercial driver's license are extensive in that applicants must demonstrate English language proficiency, demonstrate 30 different vehicle inspections, control, and driving skills, and demonstrate their knowledge in 20 general areas and consent to alcohol testing. Again,
▶ 1:01:52I can only speak for the state of Florida, but that's correct in the state of Florida.
▶ 1:01:55All right. Given the standards and requirements are the same across the board, can you please explain to me how the Department of Transportation's rules restricting commercial drivers licenses to people with H2A, H2B, and E2 visas and stripping it from refugees, as Dhaka recipients improves highway safety
▶ 1:02:25because there's obviously gaps in these these standards because people that are here illegally have obtained these licenses as well. So, I'm I'm not trying to shed any negative light on anybody here that's here legally obtaining these or differences between whether you're a citizen, permanent resident. Um, those standards, I think, are the same in the state of Florida. Um, but the one thing we're not seeing in the state of Florida is licenses being issued to illegal immigrants because of our vetting process. And I think that's where we can close the gap federally from state to state to improve highway safety.
▶ 1:02:55Miss Lou, what's your answer to that?
▶ 1:03:00Thank you for the question. Um, that's right. The standards are identical for uh, US citizens, lawful permanent residents, documented immigrants alike. Regardless of citizenship or immigration status, all drivers must demonstrate English language proficiency, demonstrate 30 different vehicle inspection control and driving skills, demonstrate their knowledge in 20 different areas. Um, it it would not improve highway safety to prohibit documented immigrants from holding these licenses.
▶ 1:03:30In fact, forcing 200,000 drivers out of the market and depleting the workforce by 5% will make our roads less safe by replacing experienced drivers with less experienced ones and increasing driver fatigue for the drivers remaining on the road. Moreover, there is no data, the Trump administration has no data showing that non-citizens cause more crashes than US citizens. They have conceded that there is no empirical relationship between a person's nation of doicile and safety outcomes.
▶ 1:04:01And according to the Trump administration's own data, there are approximately 4,000 crashes on average in a year, of which 17 were caused by a documented immigrant. That means more than 99% of crashes are caused by US citizens and lawful permanent residents.
▶ 1:04:15If the concern is that states are improperly issuing licenses to people who do not in fact already meet the existing requirements about training, English testing, then the solution is to tighten the administrative steps to make sure that licenses are going to people who in fact do satisfy all of the requirements.
▶ 1:04:34But excluding documented immigrants from being truck drivers altogether would harm highway safety, destroy the livelihoods of thousands, increase costs during an affordability crisis and disrupt essential public services.
▶ 1:04:46Thank you so much. So looks like uh we can look at the statistical data. We can look at total number of commercial drivers. We can see what percent of them are uh the immigrants that uh this law is trying to change.
▶ 1:05:03And if you look at all of the u you know fatal accidents that happen how what percent of those are committed by uh the immigrants and it it it from what you're telling me it seems like you know most of 99% of the uh collisions accidents are as a result of uh by US citizen drivers or permanent resident drivers. Is that true? Uh, thank you for the question.
▶ 1:05:33The Trump administration has identified 17 examples, as I said, of documented immigrants who've caused fatal crashes, but there are over 4,000 in a year. So that's less than 1%, meaning the other the vast majority is caused by US citizens and lawful permanent residents.
▶ 1:05:48Thank you. Gentleman's time is expired. He yields. So I just want to follow up and this is more than anecdotal. Um again going to the theme of all line additional time for questions is a tragic example. Sheriff Del Toro is the individual who made the U-turn the he was here illegally. He failed his commercial driver's license 10 times in a matter of two months.
▶ 1:06:17then yet goes to the state of California, obtains his commercial driver's license, and immediately uh within a short very short term time frame leads to the tragic end that that you know of in your county. So if someone's not willing to concede that the the lack of speaking English, the lack of skill is evident and really zeroing in on California and Pennsylvania and New York.
▶ 1:06:47New York who's failing 50% of their CDL non-domicile we know are here illegally. Our attention needs to be really be focused there. And again carrot and stick federal highway transportation funding. I am so grateful to an administration who means what they say and is willing to to follow suit when there's a lack of adherence. Um, Mr.
▶ 1:07:10Typton, in Oklahoma, I find it interesting that when you all began to lead on this issue, we're not just talking about um limited to the border of with Mexico shared by the United States. These are the individuals you all found that were operating the with these commercial truck drivers.
▶ 1:07:32U India uh Ubekiststan, Georgia, Kyrkystan, China, Pakistan, Russia, Bellarus, Ukraine, Turkey, Cuba, Guatemala, Venezuela. Is that accurate?
▶ 1:07:45Yes, sir. It was from around the globe.
▶ 1:07:47And and it's not just the D not just the national security element. It's also if you're willing to skirt the law, it tells you something about your character. If you're willing to have compromise in one area, you'll compromise in another area. And so I'm grateful. I see you in the audience. Another person from Oklahoma made me heightenly aware, Cole Stevens. Thank thank you for making me heightenly aware of what we're also seeing potentially of insurance that's being moved around.
▶ 1:08:17It's not just CDL meals that they're gaming how you can actually obtain a CDL. It's also the potential of when you go to a way station, which I've had to do, to present your insurance verification. Did you all see in in the time period that you were there of insurance being moved around on one vehicle or another?
▶ 1:08:34Absolutely. Can you explain that? Can you expound upon that? It's it's I don't know how else to explain it other than it looks like a well organized method of circumventing whether it be insurance um uh you know how they got the job, how they were brought into the country. Okay?
▶ 1:08:54So, it's a it's a wellorganized and and and let me also say this. I I'll use this as an example. While one of my troopers is is out with a truck doing an inspection at a way station on one of our emphasis, at the same time, another trooper has a van, a passenger van with, I believe, eight people inside of it, none of whom could speak English. None of them had their any type of identification on them.
▶ 1:09:23The driver in the semi that was stopped behind him had all of the passports of the folks that were in the van. We've we've we've found people who have active investigations and warrants for human smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, assault, driving under the influence, and and failure to appeal appear in court.
▶ 1:09:43So, this is this is a even larger public safety issue when we let unvetted, untrained, unskilled people in these operate these vehicles.
▶ 1:09:54I would just say this and I'm going to land the plane. This is not just public safety. It's not just national security. It's also for those in the trucking industry who understand how expensive insurance is. It's also those that would game the system that would undermine um legal process of being legally and find foreign actors to work with them.
▶ 1:10:19Whether it's to modify their logs, their time logs, to make insurance to obtain insurance fraudulently, moving moving insurance from one vehicle to another. Therefore, undercutting someone a US citizen, someone who h who's been established for years, trying to operate legally. Now, they're having to compete with that full measure of someone operating underhanded and under the table. There's a full can of worms here that is yet to be fully explored.
▶ 1:10:48And I'm grateful to you witnesses for helping us uh get a a greater look. I'm grateful to President Trump mentioning this to a State of the Union address. This is something that has to be uncovered to a greater level. Um I want to thank your witnesses for your testimony, members for their questions. Members of the committee may have some additional questions for the witnesses. We would ask the witnesses to respond to these in writing pursuant to committee rule 7E. The hearing record will be open for 10 days. Without objection, this committee stands adjourned.