US Immigration Crackdown Detains Ukrainian Truck Drivers

Immigrant truck drivers who escaped Russia's invasion of Ukraine are facing detention in the United States as the Trump administration expands immigration enforcement. Federal and state authorities have detained hundreds of noncitizen commercial drivers during traffic stops, highway inspections and weigh station checks across several states.

The crackdown has particularly affected Ukrainian drivers who entered the country through humanitarian immigration programs established during the Biden administration. More than 330,000 Ukrainians currently reside in the United States under Uniting for Ukraine and Temporary Protected Status, according to the reported figures.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said on Monday that enforcement officers operating across 15 states had stopped more than 1,000 commercial trucks and arrested approximately 40 immigrant drivers. Some of those arrested faced serious criminal charges, according to the accompanying New York Times photograph caption.

One of the detained drivers is Mykhailo Shekhtman, a 55-year-old Ukrainian who fled the war with Russia and settled in Georgia through a humanitarian program. He was transporting a shipment of cars into Oklahoma when state troopers detained him during a routine inspection at a weigh station in February.

A Homeland Security arrest report cited in The New York Times indicated that authorities suspected Shekhtman was unlawfully present in the United States. The report also showed that he had no criminal record.

Shekhtman described his confusion about the arrest during an October interview from a detention facility outside Oklahoma City.

"I asked, ‘Why are you arresting me? On what grounds are you arresting me?’” recalled Mykhailo Shekhtman, a Ukrainian truck driver.

His detention reflects broader uncertainty facing Ukrainians who received temporary permission to live and work in the United States after escaping the war. The Trump administration considers the entry of many migrants admitted under Biden-era policies unlawful.

Federal authorities have suspended the Uniting for Ukraine program and are considering whether to allow Temporary Protected Status, one of the largest immigration protection programs, to expire. These developments have left some Ukrainian migrants facing uncertainty over their legal status and financial circumstances.

The commercial trucking crackdown has intensified in Indiana, Oklahoma and Texas, where federal and state agencies have conducted enforcement operations targeting noncitizens with commercial driver's licenses.

According to a representative for Ukraine, at least a dozen Ukrainian truck drivers were detained in Oklahoma and Indiana during the summer. The arrests occurred during traffic stops and inspections that previously formed part of routine highway enforcement.