As part of its crackdown on immigration in the trucking industry, the Trump administration’s Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is conducting workplace audits on trucking companies across Northern and Central California. I-9 audits are reportedly heavily focused on Punjabi-owned truckers, as reported late November on Punjab Radio USA.
I-9 audits are workplace investigations by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to ensure employers have correctly verified the identity and employment eligibility of their workers using Form I-9. Various factors can trigger these audits and are a common form of immigration enforcement. During an audit, the DHS reviews I-9 forms and supporting documents for accuracy, and non-compliance can lead to penalties for the employer as well as potential deportations.
Punjabi and Sikh truck drivers and other employees make up about 20% of the trucking industry in both the U.S. and Canada. On the West Coast, that number soars to about 40%. In California, there are between 50,000 and 74,000 Punjabi-speaking drivers, representing about 40% of the state’s long-haul driver pool.
The North American Punjabi Trucking Association (NAPTA) lists more than 1,400 member companies in California operating over 9,000 trucks, though this represents only a fraction of the total community.
According to the radio report, Harpreet Thera, owner of Harpreet Transport Inc., an interstate freight carrier based in Fresno, said he was at a dentist appointment in Sacramento when DHS agents served him with a Notice of Inspection.
The notice only gave Thera three days to turn over I-9 employment eligibility forms for all current and former employees over the past two years, totaling about 100 individual records. Thera uses BBSI processing for payroll and runs all W-2 drivers to comply with California’s AB5 law. Despite the numbers, Thera submitted the documents the same day.
Not only that, but DHS agents also selected 15 employees for individual interviews and asked for personal contact numbers. Those interviewed included U.S. citizens, green card holders, and holders of work permits.
These audits come as the Trump administration is under scrutiny for regulations involving immigrant truck drivers, with an appeals court issuing a stay on the federal suspensions of non-domiciled commercial driver’s licenses (CDLs).
In California, the stay affects about 17,000 drivers who had their licenses revoked, with another 44,000 under review. Other examples of federal actions toward immigrants include a reinstated English-language proficiency requirement for CDL holders, which has sidelined over 7,200 drivers in the state. In addition, ICE workplace enforcement has targeted 77 trucking companies in Northern California.
Thera’s interview has alerted owners in California to review records immediately, warning that “they are doing all of them” in Northern California.
