Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said Monday that 239 Americans have died in crashes involving migrant truck drivers, blaming policies from the Biden administration for what he called preventable deaths and injuries.
“These individuals are dangerous, and because of the failure from the previous administration, from the Biden administration, they’ve killed hundreds of people, and unfortunately injured thousands,” Mullin told reporters at a press conference.
Mullin credited President Donald Trump with taking action to address the issue, saying commercial drivers had been allowed onto American roads without adequate vetting.
“Thank God, President Trump was elected by the American people to restore law and order and safety back onto our streets. Because one death, one permanent injury, is one too many, and it was 100 percent preventable. Who, in the Biden administration, thought it was a great idea to put people on the streets that couldn’t read our road signs, driving 80,000-pound rigs, without even having to take an English test or a driving test?”
The briefing centered on commercial drivers who entered the country illegally, as well as foreign-born drivers who may be in the U.S. legally but do not meet training and safety standards required for commercial licensing.
Reporter pushes back on scale of the problem
A reporter at the briefing challenged Mullin’s framing, citing U.S. Department of Transportation statistics indicating that illegal and foreign drivers account for only 1 percent of overall roadway safety incidents.
“The [conversation] here has been strongly about illegals [and] foreign drivers, but [they] account, according to U.S. DOT stats I see, for one percent of the [safety] issue.”
Mullin responded sharply, pointing to an injured girl standing near the stage as he addressed the question.
“Are you saying 1 percent is okay? Because … 1 percent is one [person] too many … Every single illegal that maims or kills an individual is 100 percent preventable. I’m trying to prevent every one of them. I don’t care if it’s a fraction of 1 percent — I’m coming after you. I’m removing you from the road because it should never take place … Every death at the hands of an illegal is one too many … Are you willing to take that 1 percent if it was your daughter?”
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy also addressed the exchange, saying the administration’s enforcement push covers more than drivers who entered the country illegally.
“This does have to do with those who’ve come into the country illegally, but it also has to do with people who are in the country lawfully, but they’re not being trained, and they’re not following the laws and the rules we’ve set up to keep Americans safe on the roadway.”
Enforcement numbers
Officials at the briefing said Duffy and his deputies have removed more than 30,000 drivers from the road and shut down more than 250 driving schools as part of the administration’s enforcement effort. Officials reiterated the count of 239 deaths involving migrant drivers.
Mullin maintained that the government should act on preventable deaths regardless of what share migrant or foreign drivers represent in broader transportation safety data. The exchange underscored the administration’s continuing push to tighten oversight of commercial driver licensing, training and immigration enforcement as part of its transportation policy agenda.
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