Indian national with New York CDL detained by ICE for illegal U.S. residency

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — A man identified only as Anmol, an Indian national, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) after being found illegally residing in the United States while holding a New York commercial driver’s license (CDL).
According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ICE officers encountered Anmol last month during a routine truck inspection at a weigh station on Interstate 40 in Oklahoma. After verifying his documentation, agents discovered that his residency status was invalid. He was taken into custody, and removal proceedings have begun.
Anmol reportedly entered the U.S. illegally in 2023 and was later “released by the Biden administration,” according to a DHS press release dated October 10. Records show that he obtained a Class A CDL in April 2024, valid until May 2028, with a REAL ID designation.
Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin of DHS criticized New York’s licensing process, calling it “risky and extremely dangerous” to allow undocumented immigrants to obtain commercial licenses that permit them to operate 18-wheelers and haul hazardous materials. She added that New York State was “failing to record applicants’ full legal names or verify citizenship.”
However, the New York Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) disputed ICE’s statements, telling Fox News that the driver’s license was issued legally under federal employment authorization obtained in March 2024. The DMV added that “it is not uncommon for individuals from other countries to have only one name” and that the license met all federal guidelines.
The case comes amid heightened scrutiny of unauthorized immigrants holding CDLs. Just two months earlier, another Indian national, Harjinder Singh, was charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in Florida while unlawfully residing in the U.S. He also possessed a California CDL, despite allegedly failing to meet key federal testing requirements.
According to Hindustan Times.