The Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that it has the mission of ensuring that “criminal illegal immigrants” do not drive tractor-trailers on the interstate highways of the United States.
In a message from X, the agency stated that the country's roads "must be safe for American families", according to a message quoted on social media.
"ICE has the mission of ensuring that illegal criminal immigrants do NOT drive tractor-trailers on interstate roads. American roads must be safe for American families," he wrote.
The warning gained relevance after the testimony of a truck driver in New York, disseminated by ICE itself.
The man made a video to alert other migrants about the need to always carry their documentation.
This case adds to others that have come to light during 2025. Among them is the case of a Cuban who was detained by federal agents while traveling on Interstate 75 (I-75).
The driver recounted that he was on the I-75 when he encountered ICE operations and was stopped. “They pulled me over, and the first thing they asked for was this...,” he explained while showing his residency card.
According to his account, the fact that he carried the document allowed him to continue the journey without any significant consequences.
He added that if he hadn't brought her, he would have been arrested even though he had legal status, and that the process would have been "faster" if the documentation had been at hand.
During the summer of 2025, the U.S. Department of State announced the immediate suspension of work visas for foreign commercial truck drivers, a measure prompted by Secretary Marco Rubio following a fatal accident in Florida involving a driver without legal status.
The decision, which aimed to protect national jobs and strengthen road safety, was part of a broader immigration control policy that directly affected the transportation sector and thousands of immigrant workers across the country.
Shortly after, the Department of Transportation (DOT) tightened the requirements for non-citizens to obtain commercial driver's licenses (CDL), limiting eligibility to certain visas and requiring strict verification of immigration status.
According to the secretary Sean Duffy, this measure was in response to the detection of licenses issued irregularly in several states and to the concern over the increase in fatal accidents caused by drivers without U.S. citizenship.
The new regulation drastically reduced the number of foreigners authorized to operate heavy trucks and put the state programs for granting permits under review.
In October of that same year, a Cuban truck driver was arrested in Oklahoma during an ICE and Highway Patrol (OHP) raid, as part of operations under the 287(g) program.
The driver, who lacked a valid commercial license, was one of more than 120 undocumented immigrants arrested during the operation, which ICE presented as an effort to keep the roads safe.
The case, along with other similar ones, highlighted the increasing pressure from federal authorities on foreign carriers and the legal risks faced by Cuban migrants involved in cargo transportation in the United States.
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