New York Issued a CDL to an Illegal Immigrant With ‘No Name Given’
Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested an individual in Oklahoma who was traveling with a New York commercial driver’s license that listed the name as “NO NAME GIVEN.” ICE made the arrest on Sept. 23, 2025, during a routine inspection at a truck scale, working with the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The license holder was identified as the Indian national Anmol Anmol.
According to federal officials, Anmol entered the United States in 2023 and was released into the country under policies implemented by the Biden administration. That release and the subsequent ability to secure a commercial driver’s license have drawn sharp criticism from national security officials. The case highlights what critics call gaps in state licensing checks for commercial drivers.
“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,” said DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in a statement.
“Allowing illegal aliens to obtain commercial driver’s licenses to operate 18-wheelers and transport hazardous materials on America’s roads is reckless and incredibly dangerous to public safety,” she continued. “Thanks to the successful 287g partnership of ICE and Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Anmol Anmol is no longer posing a threat to drivers.
“DHS is working with our state and local partners to get illegal alien truck drivers who often don’t know basic traffic laws off our highways,” McLaughlin added. These are not just words; the department linked the arrest to a broader push to identify potentially dangerous drivers on interstate freight routes.
An official with the New York Department of Motor Vehicles, however, contested the license holder’s illegal status, telling Fox News Digital that the individual holding the license has lawful status in the U.S. through a federal employment authorization issued in March and “was issued a license consistent with federal guidelines.”
“This commercial driver’s license was issued in accordance with all proper procedures, including verification of the individual’s identity through federally issued documentation,” the official said, adding that “it is not uncommon for individuals from other countries to have only one name.”
The official said that “procedures for that are clearly spelled out in the US Citizenship and Immigration Services policy manual,” and added that “it is important to note that federal documents also include a ‘no name given’ notation.”
In response to the DMV defense, McLaughlin emphasized that work authorization and lawful immigration status are different. She told reporters that “the Biden Administration gave this illegal alien work authorization in 2023” and that “work authorization does not give anyone lawful immigration status.” She added bluntly that it is “insane that New York is issuing commercial drivers licenses to illegal aliens.”
“The state of New York needs to stop trying to pass the buck and admit they need to have stricter standards for issuing commercial drivers licenses. They are putting the safety of all American drivers at risk,” said McLaughlin. Her comments reflect a Republican perspective demanding stricter state-level vetting for CDLs tied to national security concerns.
DHS released an image of the license to illustrate the problem and to show how ICE is trying to catch these cases before they become public safety threats.
Federal officials pointed to recent tragedies to underscore the urgency. Over the summer, a crash in Florida involving a 28-year-old Indian national, Harjinder Singh, who had obtained a California CDL, resulted in three deaths after an illegal turn in an unauthorized area.
The department also cited a June incident where a 5-year-old girl was severely injured in a multi-vehicle pileup caused by a commercial driver whose immigration status was reportedly in question. Those cases helped push federal and state leaders to reexamine how non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and CDLs are issued.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has taken steps to narrow eligibility for non-domiciled commercial learner’s permits and commercial driver’s licenses to tighten access and protect highways. Republican lawmakers and security officials say those steps are overdue and that states must follow stricter standards to keep dangerous drivers off American roads.
