Last Monday, Texans for Strong Borders founder Chris Russo testified before the Texas House Committee on Transportation at a hearing covering foreign holders of commercial drivers’ licenses. 

Russo discussed how foreign commercial driving license (CDL) holders are killing citizens on the road: 

“Solomun Weldekeal Araya plowed his 18-wheeler into heavy traffic in North Austin at 70 miles per hour without slowing down. He killed five people instantly, including a child, an  infant, and a 78-year-old woman. 

Afterwards, the National Transportation Safety Board determined that Weldekeal Araya, a refugee from Ethiopia, had been incorrectly issued a standard CDL instead of a non-domiciled CDL by the State of Texas, and that his license should have expired alongside his employment authorization document in October of 2022, which was years before that accident occurred. 

Since the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration began its crackdown on English language proficiency violations, Texas-based carriers lead the nation with 6,588 violations nationwide. And unlike a lot of states, we are a net exporter of violators. Without a doubt, Texas must get our house in order.”

No American family should have to worry about a careless foreigner slaughtering them every time they get in their car to drive to work or school. Cases like this are entirely preventable, with the right safeguards in place. 

In order to prevent similar tragedies, Russo laid out Strong Borders’ policy recommendations. To keep our roads safe, the Texas legislature must:

  • Pass a ban on issuance and reciprocity of non-domicile CDLs to noncitizens.
  • Codify Governor Abbott’s English-only exam standard for Texas drivers.
  • Bolster 287(g) requirements for all commercial motor vehicle law enforcement
  • Crackdown on foreign CDLs being used for point-to-point commerce.

Banning the issuance of licenses to noncitizens and requiring the exam in English will prevent the fraud that enabled Solomun Weldekeal Araya to end five innocent Americans’ lives. Coordination with ICE through the 287(g) program keeps dangerous illegal aliens out of the drivers’ seat and our state.

American Truckers United urgently called for reforms to oppose non-domicile and international CDLs. Driving a semi-truck is not an easy job that just anyone can do. It requires precision, training, and focus to maneuver large vehicles through traffic safely. Non-citizens who fraudulently acquire CDLs through credential mills cannot be trusted to drive responsibly.

Texans for Strong Borders seeks to prevent the dangers posed by non-English speaking foreigners driving on our roads. When trucking companies replace American truckers with cheap foreign labor or illegal aliens, they put all American drivers at risk and make it harder for American truck drivers to earn a living.