Indian national Sukhdeep Singh is facing deportation from the United States after a routine traffic stop in Arizona uncovered that he was living in the country unlawfully.
Singh was pulled over by local police in Quartzsite for allegedly running a red light and failing to stop at a stop sign. What began as a minor traffic violation escalated when officers conducted a background check and contacted Border Patrol agents from the Blythe Station.
Authorities confirmed that Singh was unlawfully present in the US, despite being in possession of a valid California commercial driver’s licence. He was taken into custody and is now being processed for deportation under Section 1182 of Title 8 of the US Code, which deals with inadmissible non-citizens.
The United States Border Patrol, Yuma Sector, confirmed the incident in a post on X, stating that Singh’s immigration status was verified after officers requested assistance from Border Patrol agents.
Officials also noted that Singh’s case is not an isolated one. In earlier operations, agents at the Blythe Station arrested six other undocumented Indian nationals in separate incidents. All were working as commercial truck drivers and held valid commercial driving licences, despite lacking legal immigration status. Each of them was processed for deportation, reportedly losing the opportunity to legally re-enter the US in the future.
Authorities have encouraged undocumented individuals to voluntarily leave the country using the CBP Home app, which allows for self-deportation and may help preserve eligibility for legal re-entry later.
The incident comes amid growing federal scrutiny of California’s issuance of commercial driver’s licences to non-citizens. For several months, the state has faced criticism over issuing thousands of licences to individuals allegedly without lawful status, raising concerns about violations of federal regulations.
The US Department of Transportation has since revoked around 17,000 licences, withheld certain funding, and tightened eligibility requirements, stressing that states must verify immigration status before issuing commercial licences. Reports indicate that a significant number of affected drivers are from India.
The Trump administration has blamed previous Biden-era policies, claiming they enabled thousands of immigrant truck drivers to obtain licences without meeting proper legal procedures and English proficiency requirements.
