Border Patrol in Laredo, Texas has permanently canceled over 1,000 commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs) since 2008 under the Texas Hold’em program.
How it works: The program lets authorities yank a CDL for good if a driver is convicted of felony smuggling charges — either people or narcotics — while behind the wheel of a big truck.
- Out of 1,053 total cancellations, 848 came from human smuggling cases and 205 were tied to drug smuggling.
- This year alone, 141 CDL revocations have already taken place.
Why it matters: State law is used to keep folks who break the law off the highway, aiming to keep the roads — and the border — safer.
- The Texas Hold’em initiative started in 2008 as a team effort from the Border Patrol and Texas Department of Public Safety.
- Officers run weekly outreach sessions to teach trucking companies, customs brokers, and drivers about the risks and penalties.
This crackdown is part of an ongoing plan to stop smuggling using commercial vehicles, reported U.S. Customs and Border Protection.