Trump admin shuts down 270 driving schools in fraud crackdown

President Donald Trump’s administration unveiled a historic crackdown on trucking fraud, announcing at a press conference in Detroit on Monday. Transport Secretary Sean Duffy, together with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, revealed that tens of thousands of illegal driver’s licenses were issued under former President Joe Biden’s administration. Duffy emphasized that millions of undocumented immigrants entered the United States during Biden’s tenure and many received commercial driver’s permits, many without functional English language skills.

The federal government is closing approximately 270 driving schools—110 designated as the “greatest offenders” for issuing licenses to illegal immigrants, plus another 160 deemed unsafe because they lacked adequate test facilities or employed unlicensed instructors—through a coordinated enforcement operation.

FDMCSA chief Derek Barrs reported that each of the 110 highest‑risk schools approved at least ten drivers who were later cited for failing English‑language proficiency exams during roadside inspections conducted by law‑enforcement officers.

Additionally, Immigration and Customs Enforcement uncovered more than 100 individuals operating commercial driver’s licenses that listed “No name” on the documents, underscoring a systemic breakdown in identity verification and contributing to tragic road crashes.

Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin warned that unqualified immigrant truck drivers pose a grave safety threat, noting that dozens have been implicated in fatalities and countless other injuries, and added that his team’s reviews of 400 driver‑training academies uncovered that roughly 40 percent did not meet the agency’s regulatory standards.

Such lapses highlight persistent gaps in post‑entry screening and underscore the need for stricter oversight of licensing agencies nationwide to protect public safety.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy speaks at Newark Liberty International Airport. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The administration is shutting down 110 driving schools that were the “greatest offenders” in granting drivers’ licenses to illegal immigrants, as well as 160 additional schools that Duffy says lacked proper space for driving tests or had unlicensed instructors.

Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration chief Derek Barrs said each of the 110 “greatest offenders” passed at least 10 drivers who were “subsequently cited for English language proficiency during roadside inspections by law enforcement.”

OUT OF CONTROL, UNQUALIFIED ILLEGAL ALIEN TRUCKERS ENDANGERING KIDS ON US ROADS, INSIDER WARNS: ‘JUST MADNESS’

DHS Sec. Markwayne Mullin spoke about the dangers of illegal immigrants with commercial drivers’ licenses. (Bill Clark/CQ‑Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)

Barrs went on to cite multiple examples where drivers who were illegally granted licenses killed people in crashes while on the job.

“It’s unacceptable. When you see people die on the road you don’t forget that, and it starts right here with what I’m talking about,” Barrs said.

Our investigators went into 400 driver training schools and we found that 40% of these

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