WASHINGTON (TNND) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection said that 95 illegal immigrant truck drivers were arrested in August, most with California commercial driver’s licenses.

The arrests were part of a multi-agency operation in Arizona’s Yuma Sector, Fox News reported. Of the 95 illegal immigrant truck drivers who were arrested with state-issued commercial driver’s licenses, 76 received the licenses from California, six from New York, and the rest from a handful of other states.

“We are committed to protecting our citizens from all international threats, whether that is from unlicensed or untrained drivers, or transnational criminal organizations engaged in human or drug trafficking,” Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin Caudle told Fox News.

Border crossings dropped to 33,000 in July, after reaching more than 144,000 in December 2024.

During the bust that occurred between Aug. 10 and 14, two human-smuggling events were stopped, resulting in the arrest of four smugglers and 17 smuggled illegal immigrants. Authorities also seized 74 pounds of methamphetamine and 169 pounds of marijuana. In total, 143 suspects from 18 countries were arrested.

To prevent smuggling, the Department of Transportation is finalizing a rule to prevent unqualified drivers from obtaining CDLs. The rule would limit CDLs to H-2A, H-2B, and E-2 nonimmigrant status holders, which are types of visas with more strict vetting requirements.

The DOT rule would also prevent an Employment Authorization Document as a way to prove eligibility for CDLs, citing lax reporting and scrutiny on their approvals.

“Moving forward, unqualified foreign drivers will be unable to get a license to operate an 80,000-pound big rig,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a statement about the rule.

The crackdown comes after multiple illegal immigrant truck drivers killed U.S. citizens in car accidents last year. Last month, Duffy said that the accidents occurred because background checks weren’t conducted on the drivers under the Biden administration.

In July, Duffy announced the Freedom Haulers program, which encourages veterans to apply to become truck drivers and removes illegal immigrant truck drivers.