EXCLUSIVE: Federal transportation officials nabbed hundreds of truckers found not to be proficient in English, as otherwise routine stops at weigh stations led to thousands of violations amid a three-day national crackdown.

The latest iteration of Operation SafeDRIVE (Distracted, Reckless, Impaired, Visibility Enforcement) ran from Jan. 13–15 on trucking corridors in 26 states and the District of Columbia and removed nearly 2,000 unqualified truckers and other drivers from the road, USDOT’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) told Fox News Digital.

The news comes just days after a Kyrgyz national caused a deadly wreck after he failed to brake for stopped traffic on a state road in Jay County, Indiana, crossed the median and slammed into oncoming traffic.

Bekzhan Beishekeev illegally used the Mayorkas-era CBP-1 app to enter the U.S. in 2023 and was later issued a CDL by PennDOT – leading DHS officials to lambast Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who in turn blamed Secretary Kristi Noem’s federal database management.

DUFFY EXPOSES 54% OF NORTH CAROLINA TRUCK LICENSES ISSUED ILLEGALLY TO ‘DANGEROUS DRIVERS’

Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers (US Dept of Transportation)

USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News Digital that Operation SafeDRIVE saw the FMCSA partner with state law enforcement in a high-visibility enforcement and education effort, addressing unsafe drivers of all types on the nation’s highways.

Operation SafeDRIVE conducted more than 8,200 inspections that led to 704 drivers being taken off the road and out of service.

About 500 of those truckers were penalized for violating English proficiency standards.

CALIFORNIA FATHER SAYS NEWSOM IGNORED HIM AFTER ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT TRUCKER LEFT DAUGHTER UNABLE TO WALK

There were 1,231 total vehicles stripped of their roadworthiness and 56 people were arrested, including several for DUI/DWI and illegal presence in the United States.

“Operation SafeDRIVE shows what happens when we work together with our law enforcement partners to pull unqualified drivers and vehicles off American roads,” Duffy told Fox News Digital.

“We need a whole-of-government approach to ensure the Trump Administration’s strong standards of safety are in place to protect American families and reduce road accidents.”

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT ACCUSED IN DEATHS OF COLLEGE SOCCER PLAYER, GIRLFRIEND HAD PRIOR DWI DISMISSED: RECORDS

Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers (US Dept of Transportation)

FMCSA Administrator Derek Barrs added that the operation’s main goal was public safety.

“When drivers ignore the rules, operate without proper qualifications, or get behind the wheel impaired, they put all of our lives at risk,” Barrs said.

“Operation SafeDRIVE demonstrates the value of focused enforcement and strong partnerships in removing these drivers and vehicles from our roads.”

GRIEVING FATHER SAYS DAUGHTER’S DEATH BY ILLEGAL ALIEN SHOWS COST OF SANCTUARY POLICIES

Operation SafeDRIVE cracks down on illegal immigrant truckers (US Dept of Transportation)

In other recent cases of illegally-present or English-nonproficient drivers causing deadly or dangerous situations, an Indian national was arrested after passing through a weigh station in Oklahoma and found to be illegally present in the country.

His commercial driver’s license, issued by New York State, listed him as “NO NAME.” His identity was later confirmed to be Anmol Anmol, and he had illegally entered the U.S. in 2023 and was handed over to federal authorities under Oklahoma’s 287(g) cooperation agreement with I.C.E.

DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said Anmol is indicative of the kind of people issued licenses under Albany’s widescale noncooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

NOEM DIGS AT AGITATORS, SANCTUARY POLITICIANS IN TOUTING ICE MISSION CONTINUES 1 YEAR INTO TRUMP’S SECOND TERM

“New York is not only failing to check if applicants applying to drive 18-wheelers are U.S. citizens but even failing to obtain the full legal names of individuals they are issuing commercial drivers’ licenses to,” she said.

After an Uzbek national wanted in Tashkent on terrorism charges was nabbed in Oklahoma — also wielding a PennDOT driver’s license — a similar dynamic ensued between Harrisburg and Washington, with both Shapiro and Noem blaming each other for the problem.

Fox News Digital obtained a letter from Shapiro cabinet officials to Pennsylvania legislative leaders — as Democrats hold the House and Republicans the Senate — rejecting some of the claims about the situation.

The letter, written by PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, a Luzerne Democrat, and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, a Philadelphia Republican, called out “misstatements and ill-informed speculation” from critics. Schmidt and Carroll said the administration’s policy is not to allow illegal immigrants to receive licenses.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

“All non-citizens who apply for driver’s licenses… must provide PennDOT with proof of identity and must have their legal presence in this country verified through the federal Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database,” they said, citing the DHS database flagged by Shapiro and PennDOT spokeswoman Alexis Campbell in prior communications with Fox News Digital.

A Noem spokesperson said at the time that the Uzbek illegal immigrant — Akhror Bozorov — was unwisely issued a work authorization by the Biden administration, but that did not mean Harrisburg should have let him drive a bobtail — with the spokesperson dubbing Shapiro a “sanctuary politician.”

The situation first came to prominence after Indian national Harjinder Singh made an illegal U-turn on Florida’s Turnpike in St. Lucie County and a sedan slammed into the rig, killing all occupants.

Singh had been given a CDL by California.

The growing tension between America and Iran is not showing any sign of stopping. Meanwhile, Iran has taken such a tough step, which can provoke America to take a big decision even before the talks mediated by Oman.

In fact, Iran’s government news channel Press TV shared the information that Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has deployed ballistic missile Khorramshahr-4 at one of its military bases on Friday (February 6, 2026).

Missile demonstrated to send message to US: Javani

Regarding the deployment of Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile on the Iranian military base, IRGC Deputy Commander for Political Affairs Brigadier General Yadollah Javani said that this ballistic missile has been demonstrated to send a message to America and that message is that Iran does not intend to retreat from its defense capabilities.

He said that Iran will never back down from its stand and does not want war, but if the enemy takes any wrong step, it will be given a strong response.

Khorramshahr-4 missile can cause devastation up to a range of 2,000 km

Khorramshahr-4 ballistic missile has the capability to cause destruction with accurate attack up to a range of 2,000 kilometers. Along with this, it is also capable of carrying a warhead weighing up to 1,500 kg. In such a situation, it is said to be very dangerous.

According to the report, this dangerous ballistic missile has been displayed during the inauguration of a new military site operated by the IRGC Aerospace Force. The deployment of its missile is being considered a sign of its formal inclusion in Iran’s defense policy.

Iran’s diplomats will hold meeting with full confidence: Javani

Brigadier General Yadollah Javani, deputy commander for political affairs of the IRGC, said that Iranian diplomats will join the Oman-led talks with the US with full confidence.

Also read: PM Modi will go on a two-day official visit to Malaysia, talks will be held on issues including trade and defence.

A neighbor of missing Nancy Guthrie said he saw a suspicious white van on their street in the days before NBC host Savannah Guthrie‘s mother was taken from her home.

Nancy Guthrie, 84, was last seen at her Tucson home at around 9:30 p.m. Saturday, according to the Pima County Sheriff’s Department.

While officials didn’t initially elaborate on the circumstances of her disappearance, Sheriff Chris Nanos said on Monday that “we do, in fact, have a crime.” A law enforcement source told Fox News Digital that there were “blood drops” leading from the entryway outside down the house’s pathway towards the driveway. 

“Sheriff [Chris] Nanos has stated that he believes that a crime has been committed,” a spokesperson for Pima County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News Digital. “At this point, investigators believe she was taken from the home against her will and that includes possible kidnapping or abduction.”

EVERYTHING WE KNOW ABOUT NANCY GUTHRIE’S RANSOM NOTE AS SHERIFF SAYS SHE WAS ABDUCTED

Savannah Guthrie and her mother, Nancy Guthrie, are pictured on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Nathan Congleton/NBC via Getty Images)

Brett McIntire, who lives across the street from Nancy Guthrie, told the New York Post he reported the unmarked van to police. He couldn’t recall exactly when he saw the van, but said it was recent.

“It was somewhere on that street. It was a white van, full-sized, with no printing on the sides. It was parked on the street,” he said. “Normally people that are coming to work on your home will have a company vehicle or, if they’re independent, something written on it.”

TIMELINE: NBC HOST SAVANNAH GUTHRIE’S MOTHER DISAPPEARS AS SHERIFF SAYS SHE MAY HAVE BEEN ‘ABDUCTED’

Australian-born presenter, Savannah Guthrie poses alongside her mother Nancy Guthrie during a production break while hosting NBC’s “Today Show” live from Australia at Sydney Opera House on May 4, 2015, in Sydney, Australia.  (Don Arnold/WireImage)

“From now on, when I’m going out and about, I’ll have a paper and pen and record anything unusual,” he added.

After Nancy Guthrie’s disappearance, Brett’s wife, Lisa, said they’re considering buying security cameras.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Members of the press work outside the home of Nancy Guthrie, the missing mother of “Today” show host Savannah Guthrie, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, in Tucson, Ariz.  (AP Photo/Caitlin O’Hara)

“Brett and I were talking. And we thought, well, we should probably get one,” Lisa said. “We have a pretty secure residence. Metal doors. I’m kind of a deep sleeper, so it’s unlikely someone could get past one of the metal doors. But we’re a little concerned.”

Donald Trump has been accused of “disgusting behaviour” after sharing a video depicting Barack and Michelle Obama as monkeys.

Warning: The following article contains an offensive image

The depiction appears towards the end of the video shared by the president, asserting debunked claims that the 2020 election – which he lost to Joe Biden – was stolen from him.

Posted on Mr Trump’s own social media network, Truth Social, the two-second clip shows the Obamas as monkeys bobbing up and down to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Gavin Newsom, the Democratic governor of California, accused the president of “disgusting behaviour”.

He added: “Every single Republican must denounce this. Now.”

Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security adviser in the Obama White House, reacted to the video by calling Trump “a stain on our history”.

“Let it haunt Trump and his racist followers that future Americans will embrace the Obamas as beloved figures while studying him as a stain on our history,” he wrote on X.

George Conway – ex-husband of Kellyanne Conway, who managed the president’s successful election campaign in 2016 – responded by highlighting an article he’d written describing Trump as a “racist” in 2019.

Defending the president’s post, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the depiction formed part of a longer video depicting various politicians as animals.

She said: “This is from an internet meme video depicting President Trump as the King of the Jungle and Democrats as characters from The Lion King.

“Please stop the fake outrage and report on something today that actually matters to the American public.”

Mr Trump has a long history of attacking Mr Obama, his predecessor as president, and was a vocal proponent of the “birther” conspiracy theory.

The theory cast doubt on Mr Obama’s birth in Hawaii, asserting that he was actually born in Kenya, and therefore ineligible to hold the office of president.

Mr Obama produced his long-form birth certificate in 2011. In 2016 Mr Trump publicly accepted that his predecessor was born in the USA.

The Russian figure skating coach at the heart of the doping scandal that engulfed then–15-year-old Kamila Valieva at the 2022 Winter Games is making her return at Milan Cortina.

Eteri Tutberidze, who coached Valieva when it was revealed in Beijing that she had tested positive for the banned substance trimetazidine, returned to the Olympic scene this week for Georgia as European champion Nika Egadze’s coach.

Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva competes at the Russian Jumping Championships in Moscow, Russia, on Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026. (AP Photo/Pavel Bednyakov)

Tutberidze, despite global outcry because Valieva was a minor at the time, was not formally sanctioned or disciplined for the incident. Still, World Anti-Doping Agency president Witold Banka expressed his disappointment that she would be involved in this year’s Games. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

“It’s not our decision the coach is here,” Banka said Thursday. “The investigation found no evidence that this particular person was engaged in this doping process, so there’s no legal basis to exclude her from the presence during the Olympic Games.”

“But of course, if you ask me personally about my feelings,” he continued, “I don’t feel comfortable with her presence here in the Olympic Games, for sure.”

Valieva, 19, submitted a sample in December 2021 during the Russian National Championships, which came back positive the following February. The scandal erupted after Valieva helped the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) win gold in the team event after she became the first woman in competition to land a quadruple jump. 

Kamila Valieva of Team ROC reacts while waiting for her score with choreographer Daniil Gleikhengauz (right) and coach Eteri Tutberidze (left) after the women’s single skating free skate on Day 13 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympic Games at Capital Indoor Stadium in Beijing, China, on Feb. 17, 2022. (David Ramos/Getty Images)

FIGURE SKATER MAXIM NAUMOV MAKES US OLYMPIC TEAM ONE YEAR AFTER LOSING BOTH PARENTS IN TRAGIC DC PLANE CRASH

She was able to continue the competition as the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) weighed in. Valieva was given a four-year ban, which expired this past December. She was unable to qualify for Milan Cortina because she could not compete in qualifying events during her ban.  

Russian skater Adeliia Petrosian is instead competing for the ROC this year and is a gold medal contender in the women’s individual category. She, too, has been coached by Tutberidze for years.

Tutberidze’s daughter, Diana Davis, is also competing in the Winter Olympics for Georgia in the ice dance category. 

Eteri Tutberidze during practice for the ISU European Figure Skating Championships at Utilita Arena in Sheffield, on Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2026. (Mike Egerton/PA Images via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

The figure skating competitions begin Friday.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X, and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.