Operation Checkmate is aimed at enhancing public safety through enforcement of immigration statutes to detect and arrest illegal persons operating commercial motor vehicles
02 June, 2026 – Chandigarh : Thousands of Punjabi truck drivers, a vital part of the American long-haul trucking industry, are confronting an uncertain future as US starts deportation process of 17,000 truckers identified during investigations into commercial driving licences.
On Monday, 28 Punjabis were among 52 people arrested under Operation Checkmate, including 36 commercial truck drivers.
Intensified US immigration enforcement, combined with the ongoing war in Iran disrupting global fuel markets, is severely limiting employment opportunities.
Punjabis, particularly from the Sikh community, form a significant portion of the estimated 17,000 illegal or improperly documented immigrant truck drivers identified in a major federal and state audit of commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) in California.
In the latest development from Operation Checkmate, a US Border Patrol initiative in Arizona’s Yuma Sector, Acting Chief Patrol Agent Dustin W Caudle said: “Operation Checkmate reflects our commitment to safeguarding communities and roads from unlawfully present drivers who pose significant risks to public safety.”
Following a push by the Trump administration, California authorities have moved to revoke thousands of non-domiciled CDLs issued to immigrants whose legal status had allegedly expired. This has particularly hit the Punjabi diaspora in California, Texas, and other trucking hubs.
According to reports by The New York Times in December 2025, “Two high-profile crashes and a Trump administration crackdown have brought worry, and wariness, to the community.”
It highlighted that long-haul trucking had served as a refuge for Sikh immigrants until recent policies shifted.
A representative of Punjabi trucking associations in North America said that drivers who have contributed for years are now in panic. “Just because of one person, all the community shouldn’t be penalised,” Punjabi truck driver Sumit Singh was quoted as saying in the Los Angeles Times amid earlier harassment fears.
US Senator Adam Schiff, after meeting Sikh truck drivers in Bakersfield in January 2026, expressed concern: “I’m very concerned about the loss of jobs, the loss of income for families, and the degree to which Sikh drivers have to deal with threats… even though folks are here lawfully and have work permits, they risk being detained or deported.”
Harman Singh, Executive Director of the Sikh Coalition, said Punjabi Sikhs make up a substantial share of the US trucking workforce and have helped fill national shortages. Estimates suggest around 1,50,000 Sikh truck drivers nationwide, many of them concentrated on the West Coast.
Meanwhile, the war in Iran has driven global fuel prices higher, with US diesel costs surging and squeezing independent truckers’ margins.
For Punjabi drivers who supplemented US work with Gulf or Middle East routes, conflict-related instability has closed those doors, worsening financial pressures on families in Punjab.
The Tribune