As the Trump administration works to tighten the rules of the road and remove commercial truck drivers who cannot speak English, signs of trouble are emerging in Baldwin County.

So far, federal authorities have removed 9,500 truck drivers for failing to speak English, according to Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. Officials said the operations are necessary after the Biden administration allowed millions to illegally cross the border, and now many of those immigrants are working behind the wheel.

Numerous fatal crashes have involved non-English-speaking commercial drivers nationwide.

In Thomasville, two people were killed when a foreign truck driver who could not effectively speak English plowed through an intersection. Criminal charges have been filed, and a survivor of the horrific crash has filed a civil lawsuit.

While the crashes made headlines and brought the issue to public attention, local law enforcement has been addressing it for at least three years.

Baldwin County Sheriff Anthony Lowery said that in his position, he has encountered drivers who are unable to speak English. Lowery said the ineffective communication can be dangerous in multiple ways. When law enforcement encounters them, they often cannot understand what officers are saying. Further, they may be unable to accurately interpret roadway signs and construction messaging.

RELATED: Two truckers ticketed in DeKalb County for violating Trump order on speaking English

"I believe it is an issue and I believe that it's something that we've got to move towards solving in the future," Lowery told 1819 News. "If they're going to try to obtain a driver's license, they have to have some ability to communicate. "

The sheriff's office stops more than 20,000 cars every year. Lowery said his deputies often make contact with commercial drivers along highways, and the interdiction team drives along Interstates 65 and 10 to interdict crime and drugs. Lowery said one of the primary crimes committed on roadways by non-English speaking drivers is driving under the influence (DUI).

"They don't understand the laws necessarily of this country, and so we see a lot of that," Lowery explained. "I know that just last week, we arrested some people on ICE detainers, and a few of those people have been arrested multiple times for DUI."

The sheriff's office is performing immigration operations through the 287(g) program. Many of the operations will be on heavily traveled arteries throughout the county.

The state has teamed up with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on inspection operations.

"Alabama will not look the other way while illegal immigration and illegal operators threaten the safety of our communities or undermine the integrity of our trucking industry," Gov. Kay Ivey stated. "If you are here illegally and breaking our laws or putting folks at risk on our highways, you will be held accountable in our state."

Alabama is teaming up with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to make the state's interstates safer. Gov. Kay Ivey announced that ICE agents are now routinely taking part in commercial vehicle enforcement assignments.

"Alabama is leading the way when it comes to going after illegal bad actors in trucking," said Ivey. "I'm proud of ALEA for taking decisive action and grateful for our strong partnership with ICE."

At the federal level, Duffy has also issued an emergency rule restricting commercial driver's licenses based on immigration status and has put trucking schools on notice. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has suspended work visas for foreigners.

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