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ICE Arrests 13 Foreign Truckers at Pennsylvania CDL Office
ICE Bust Happened as Non-Domiciled Drivers Brought Medical Updates
Key Takeaways:
- ICE arrested 13 foreign truck drivers at a Pennsylvania driver license center after local police alerted federal agents to a gathering of non-domiciled CDL holders.
- The incident underscores scrutiny of Pennsylvania’s handling of non-domiciled CDLs after federal auditors found thousands issued illegally and warned of loss up to $225.5 million.
- State officials say PennDOT did not coordinate with ICE and remains compliant as federal immigration authorities declined to provide details and enforcement questions persist.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents reportedly arrested 13 foreign truck drivers from among more than 100 waiting to submit their non-domiciled driver license medical certificates at a Pennsylvania motor vehicle office.
Residents of the rural town where the office is located grew concerned and notified the East Franklin Township Police Department when a large collection of semi-trucks and a long line of drivers assembled at the West Kittanning Driver License Center in Armstrong County. The police department contacted ICE.
A police officer referred a request by Transport Topics for further information to ICE. However, ICE provided no response when asked for details about the incident.
According to radio station WFMD-AM in nearby Frederick, Md., Armstrong County Sheriff Frank Pitzer reported that multiple people abandoned their vehicles and fled when federal agents arrived. Pitzer said fewer than 10 ICE agents worked to .
Other local news reports included witness descriptions of a chaotic scene in which some drivers fled through nearby residential yards to evade the ICE agents.
The area sits some 40 miles northeast of Pittsburgh and is flanked by the Allegheny River.
Those arrested hailed from Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, according to the website for Pittsburgh-area television station WPXI. The site quoted a statement from ICE indicating that one of the people detained .
Alexis Campbell, press secretary at the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, on April 3 noted the agency was “aware of reports of immigration enforcement activity” at the West Kittanning facility.
“PennDOT did not coordinate with federal officials in any capacity in relation to this activity,” Campbell said, adding that the site was processing medical form updates for current non-domiciled CLP or CDL holders, “which resulted in a large number of customers at West Kittanning.”
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Barrs. (Noël Fletcher/Transport Topics)
Last September, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, via a temporary regulation, ordered states to cease issuance of new non-domiciled CDLs and commercial learner’s permits. An appeals court has since .
Campbell affirmed the state remains in compliance with all applicable rules. “PennDOT remains steadfast in following state and federal law and there is no activity or transaction occurring at West Kittanning or elsewhere that violates state or federal law,” she said.
On Nov. 19, Gov. Josh Shapiro and state Transportation Secretary Michael B. Carroll were issued a in how the state was issuing its non-domiciled CDLs and CLPs.
FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs informed them in a nine-page letter that a sample audit of 12,436 valid non-domiciled driving credentials were issued to commercial drivers in violation of federal law.
He directed Pennsylvania to pause issuing these licenses and permits pending completion of a series of corrective actions or face losing $75.5 million in federal funds for fiscal year 2027 and the next year forfeit $150 million for delayed compliance.
