Why 30 Indians were arrested in US—You won’t believe what happened

CBP said the individuals were found in possession of commercial driver’s licenses and were apprehended during vehicle stops at immigration checkpoints and joint interagency operations.

In a statement, the agency said: “Between November 23 and December 12, agents from the Indio Station apprehended 42 illegal aliens operating semi-trucks with commercial driver’s licenses while traveling on interstates or passing through immigration checkpoints on highways 86 and 111.”

Of those arrested, 30 were from India, two from El Salvador, while the remaining individuals were from China, Eritrea, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, Russia, Somalia, Turkey, and Ukraine.

CBP further noted that California had issued 31 of the commercial driver’s licenses recovered during the operations. The remaining licenses were issued by Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington.

Commenting on the arrests, El Centro Sector Acting Chief Patrol Agent Joseph Remenar said, “El Centro Sector personnel are stalwart defenders of our nation’s security, whether that occurs at the border or in the interior of the United States.”

“Since the beginning of Fiscal Year 2026, arrests made by the El Centro Sector in the interior have surpassed those at the border, directly illustrating what can be accomplished when a secure border is achieved,” he added.