Trump’s Immigration Dragnet Sweeps Up Ukrainian Truckers Who Fled War

Ukrainians who fled Russia’s invasion and found work driving lorries in the United States are being caught up in the Trump administration’s immigration and trucking enforcement drive. According to The New York Times, a representative for Ukraine said at least a dozen Ukrainian truck drivers were arrested during the summer. Some drivers have been stopped at weigh stations or during traffic checks, where road inspections can lead to questions about immigration status. The reported figure describes arrests, not convictions or findings that those drivers were unsafe.

The cases have unfolded alongside a March 2026 federal rule that sharply narrowed eligibility for commercial driving licences issued to people who are neither US citizens nor permanent residents. Ukrainians admitted under humanitarian parole or granted Temporary Protected Status cannot obtain or renew those licences under the rule unless they hold one of three specified visa types. An organisation assisting Ukrainian immigrants says some drivers have been detained and some deported. Federal officials say their joint roadside operations are intended to remove unqualified drivers and unsafe vehicles; advocates say the licensing restrictions and immigration checks put people who escaped the war at risk of losing their livelihood or being detained.