Canadian trucker arrested in New Mexico for alleged cabotage violations

U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested a Canadian truck driver in New Mexico after authorities said he was caught hauling freight between two U.S. cities in violation of federal cabotage restrictions.

Border Patrol said Sunday that agents in Las Cruces apprehended the driver for allegedly conducting unauthorized domestic freight operations after determining that he was transporting cargo from Deming, New Mexico, to Los Lunas, New Mexico.

“Admitted. Not authorized to haul,” Border Patrol said in an Aug. 10 Facebook post.

The agency said the domestic freight movement violated the terms of the driver’s nonimmigrant status and that he now faces prosecution and subsequent deportation.

Border Patrol did not identify the driver, trucking company, shipper or type of freight involved in the alleged violation. The agency also did not specify where agents encountered the driver or what charges he could face.

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The incident is notable because it involves a Canadian commercial driver at a time when federal authorities have stepped up enforcement of cabotage restrictions involving foreign truckers operating in the U.S.

Cabotage generally refers to the transportation of goods between two points within the same country by a foreign carrier or driver. 

Canadian and Mexican commercial drivers can conduct legitimate international freight movements into and out of the U.S., but cannot pick up freight at one U.S. location and deliver it to another U.S. location.

Border Patrol has conducted several cabotage enforcement actions over the past year, although most publicly announced cases have involved Mexican truck drivers operating near the southern border.

In April, Border Patrol said a Mexican truck driver’s B-1/B-2 visa was revoked after agents determined that he had transported a commercial load of produce from Yuma, Arizona, to Grandview, Washington. The driver was processed for deportation.

In another case announced in May, authorities said a Mexican driver transported commodities from Nogales, Arizona, to Laredo, Texas. Border Patrol said the driver’s visa was revoked and his trailer was towed.

Why it matters: The arrest of a Canadian driver signals that the federal government’s expanding cabotage crackdown is not limited to Mexican truckers and could bring greater scrutiny to foreign carriers conducting freight movements throughout the U.S.

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