Officials announce 223 noncitizens arrested in Indiana under 'Operation Midway Blitz'; more than 140 held to have commercial licenses

Federal and state officials said Operation Midway Blitz resulted in the arrest of 223 noncitizens in Indiana, including more than 140 people the officials said held commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs), during a press event focused on roadway safety and immigration enforcement.

Kristi Noem, who spoke at the event and was introduced as a Department of Homeland Security official, said the operations targeted “illegal aliens” driving commercial vehicles and described cases in which drivers she said were present in the United States without authorization caused deadly crashes. “Too many families across this country have felt pain and been victimized and lost loved ones because of these illegal drivers,” she said.

Todd Lyons, identified at the event as acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), said the nationwide effort has arrested more than 3,000 noncitizens and that 223 were arrested in the Indiana roadway operation. “With the help of our federal partners, we've arrested over 3,000 criminal aliens with Operation Midway Blitz,” Lyons said. He and other officials attributed many of the CDLs to licenses issued in what they called…