INTERPOL WARRANT. TERRORISM CHARGES. Perfect...CDL APPROVED.

While everyone's arguing about whether immigrants should drive trucks, we missed the bigger picture.

ICE arrested Akhror Bozorov in Kansas. He was driving an 18-wheeler. Clean CDL from Pennsylvania. Valid work authorization. One problem, Uzbekistan issued an INTERPOL warrant for him in 2022 for terrorism, distributing jihad propaganda and recruiting fighters online.

He crossed our border in February 2023. Border Patrol caught him. Released him anyway.

January 2024: Work authorization approved.

July 2025: Pennsylvania CDL issued.

November 2025: Finally arrested while hauling freight across America.

Let that timeline sink in.

A long list of "stops" failed...

• Border Patrol screening - Caught and released

• Work authorization background check - Approved

• Pennsylvania CDL application - Issued

• INTERPOL red notice in federal databases. Didn't ping

Four separate chances. Four failures.

And he wasn't using an alias. He applied for everything under his actual name, the same name on the warrant.

I know the non-domiciled CDL debate and yes, English proficiency matters for safety and enforcement interaction. Yes, the flood of non-domiciled drivers has created financial chaos, suppressed wages, increased crash rates, insurance nightmares.

But this case isn't about any of that.

This is about a guy with an active international terrorism warrant who got waved through every checkpoint we have.

This isn't isolated. In 2023, the FBI discovered an ISIS-linked smuggling network bringing Uzbek nationals across our southern border. By mid-2024, DHS identified 400+ migrants connected to that network. In June 2024, ICE arrested eight Tajik nationals with suspected ISIS ties in Philadelphia, NYC, and LA, all had crossed the border, been vetted, and released.

Our vetting process has a terrorism-sized hole in it.

The non-domiciled CDL crisis hits us hqrd across the board...

• Wage suppression industry-wide

• Higher insurance premiums from increased crashes

• Lost tax revenue from under-table arrangements

• California alone revoked 17,000 illegally issued CDLs this year

• Unvetted foreign nationals operating 80,000-lb vehicles

• Access to critical infrastructure and supply chains

• Interstate mobility without scrutiny

• Perfect cover for reconnaissance operations

DOT estimates 450,000-500,000 non-domiciled CDL holders. My estimate? Over a million when you count under-the-table operations.

I'm not anti-immigrant. I'm anti-stupid. And this was catastrophically stupid.

We have legal pathways that include background checks. When those checks fail, or get skipped, we're not just compromising industry standards. We're compromising national security.

The trucking industry has been screaming about this for years, but the conversation gets reduced to "truckers don't want immigrant drivers" or "racist industry protecting jobs."

No. We want functioning background checks. We want drivers who can communicate with law enforcement. We want people who can read road signs. And yeah, we'd really like to keep international terrorists out of the driver's seat.

Is that too much to ask?

If you're a fleet manager: How confident are you in your driver vetting? Pennsylvania just proved state CDLs aren't enough.

If you're a driver, You're competing with people who got licenses through a broken system.

If you're in law enforcement, You're pulling over trucks with drivers who may not be who they claim.

If you're a taxpayer, You paid to release, authorize, license, and finally arrest this guy.

We have 500k+ non-domiciled CDL holders operating right now. How many others are driving with warrants? How many came through smuggling networks with terrorism ties?

The Trump administration is finally cracking down. DOT is revoking illegally issued licenses. ICE is conducting targeted enforcement. But we're playing catch-up on a problem that should never have existed.

Illegal immigration has consequences beyond political talking points:

• Undermines legal immigration pathways

• Creates exploitable vulnerabilities in critical industries

• Distorts labor markets and suppresses wages

• Creates national security risks we can't ignore

Bozorov should never have been released. Should never have gotten work authorization. Should never have gotten a CDL. And he damn sure shouldn't have been hauling loads for two years with an active terrorism warrant. But he was. Because the system failed. Completely. If it failed for him, using his real name, with an Interpol warrant, how many others has it failed for?

That's not xenophobia. That's a legitimate question about national security, public safety, and our transportation system's integrity.